Loshin City
by Destiny's Daughter
Summary: Fai is a suffering teen awaiting justice while supporting a dying Sakura. Kurogane is a young man working three jobs to pay the rent and to help raise a drug addicted Sayoran. Life with poverty, violence and drugs is hard...Welcome to Loshin City. KxF
1. Prologue

Loshin City

By: Destiny's Daughter

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**If a shadow covers the sun **

**There will be light,**

**If it stays till the sun is set**

**There will be light,**

**If the sun never shows its face again**

**There will be light,**

**No matter how dark this city gets**

**There will be light.**

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Chapter One: Prologue

One thing Fai knew for sure as he wandered through the almost deserted streets of his new home was that Loshin City was definitely a very lonely place. As the light rain quietly spat on his leather jacket and made his white shirt go almost see through he found himself making a move to cover himself up. He should have guessed it would hardly make a difference anyways, but he didn't care as he looked up at the sky to the west of him and saw the dark clouds that were threatening a thunder storm. Realizing his pointless attempts to remain dry he shoved his pale hands into the depths of the worn leather he had strewn across his back. He knew he couldn't look more like a drowned white rat if he tried but at that moment he ceased caring.

It was early into the evening, but you could hardly tell since what was left of a sun was hidden behind the smog of the factories to the south of his apartments. The only reason he knew that night was descending is because the streets were deserted. When the last of the honorable working citizens had retired to the warm, comforting homes to have dinner with their families the city's night life started to emerge and run rapid. Right now was the transition point, the time when there was an eerie quiet working its way slowly through the deserted streets as the last few random stragglers hurried back into their homes unless they wanted to get caught in the dark, grim business of Loshin City after dark. Silently Fai worried that if he didn't hurry he would be caught in the middle of something he didn't want to be caught in.

Speeding up his pace he tried to keep his eyes on the sidewalk. As he passed by an alley located between a factory and a local shop he felt his heart lurch uncomfortably. He knew that by the laughter coming from that dark enclosure and the whelps of an animal in pain that a gang had caught another dog to enlist in their pointless, tortuous games. But like usual he found ignoring this to be the hardest part. But there was nothing he could do; by the height of their laughter he knew there were at least ten of them and he was probably no match for two.

Loshin City had no sense of order. Due to the recession brought on by their present so called 'diplomatic' government, most of the city's inhabitants were either poor or homeless. This brought on a lot of trouble; such as gang violence and street fights with bets placed on the winners. Drugs and homelessness was a very popular trend at the time; thanks to the fact that only the lucky ones had a job. What was worse was that no one seemed to want to do anything about it. The blond teen couldn't understand how the police department couldn't care, or more likely wouldn't care, that the world around them was falling to pieces. Not only that, but the city's people refused to rebel against this sorrowful acts and try and act better than the rest.

It had been almost half a year since he had came to this poor, depressing city. It wasn't by choice that he was forced to leave his home in Celes; he liked to believe that this was all for the better but deep down, beyond his optimistic exterior the wounds of the past still stung deep. Although the pain of the past was hard enough to deal with, leaving his twin behind was a whole different story…

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"_Are you sure you have to do this Fai?" He heard a voice whisper out from the darkness of his room. Fai chose not to respond as he picked up his last few articles of clothing and placed them in his black backpack he had once used for school. Now that he was leaving he was pretty sure that he would never be able to finish high school, but at this point school was the farthest from his mind. _

_At having his twin ignore him so vividly the younger boy sighed and sat down on his brother's bed. "Fai you don't have to leave, we want to help you, you know that!" He said desperately_

_The blond boy gave a small smile and turned around to face the distressed boy sitting stone still on his mattress. "No Yuui, you want to help me." He said as he walked to his dresser and shoved his almost empty drawers close. He knew he couldn't keep all of the clothes that used to belong to him, but he felt his heart jolt as he saw all the other things in his room that he would have to leave behind. He would miss his things dearly, especially his white Mokona plushy. As he turned around to face Yuui though he knew nothing else would matter when he left except for how much he would miss the pale boy in front of him. _

_When he didn't respond Fai moved closer towards him and sat on his twin's bed which was opposite to his own. Folding his hands in front of him he looked down at the blue carpeted floor which shone a bright grey due to the moonlight flooding in from his open window. _

"_Yuui," He said in a small voice, his eyes never leaving the carpet. "I don't think I can do this anymore. Even with you guys here…staying in this house will just..." his voice trailed off as his eyes swung warily towards the bed his twin was sitting on. The sheets had been cleaned many times since last weeks events but he was still expecting to see his blood staining the creamy folds. Yuui reached out a hand towards his brother and grasped it firmly in his own._

"_He's not here Fai. He's not here." He said as he forced his brother to look in his face, the mirror image of his own. Fai nodded in response. "I know that but...it's just…" he cursed himself as he felt tears well up in his eyes and he felt a hand reach up to wipe them away. He smiled gratefully at the boy in front of him before he stood up, although he still clung to his brother's hand. "No, I have to go."_

_At this he walked over to the desk they had once shared and threw on his black leather jacket. It was really cold out this evening even though it was the beginning of summer. Even so, he would have taken it anyway; who knew how long he would have to be on the streets._

"_Where will you go then?" Yuui said nervously as he stood up to follow him. "Fai you're sixteen, Im not even sure you can get an apartment at that age!"_

_He shook his head. "No I might not be able to get an apartment, but I'll find somewhere to stay." They both knew this was a lie but the two teens clung desperately to this lie, hoping that by this action they would make the lie truth. "I'll probably make my way to Loshin; they have some cheap places there." He continued but he saw Yuui stiffen as his words. "Don't worry bro, I'll be fine." Fai insisted although they both knew that going to that city meant pure hell._

_When Fai said this Yuui slowly pulled his hand away from his brother's. Fai immediately missed the warmth of his brother's against his cold one but watched him curiously as he moved towards his own dresser drawer and began to dig earnestly through its contents. _

_His brother returned with a wad of folded paper wrapped in an elastic band grasped in his hands. Fai's eyes widened as he approached him and shyly forced the paper into his hands. "Take it." Yuui said quickly as he looked away. "Its not a lot but it should hold you up for a while. Don't you dare Fai!" He said angrily as his twin tried to force the few hundred dollars back in his hands. Ignoring the protests of the teen in front of him he spoke again. _

"_I don't need it, you do." He said simply. _

_Fai's fingers froze. Although he hesitated at first, he slowly walked towards his backpack with a sigh and shoved them in the bottom of his bag. He knew Yuui was right; he was definitely going to need it since he himself only had a few hundred saved up in his debit account. He muttered thanks as he zipped his backpack up for a final time. Slowly he twisted the strap and placed it on his back._

"_Are you going to say goodbye to mum and dad?" Yuui said in a quiet voice and Fai shook his head. "You know I can't. I want to but…" Yuui nodded, knowing that their parents would try to stop him. They stood a meter apart from each other, silence cloaking the room with a heavy sadness as Fai stepped back towards the window, his front half still facing his twin, leaving his face in shadow due to the moon's rays. By now his heart was lurching painfully and he could tell his face was stained with his tears no matter how he tried to stop them._

_Hoping he could make his exit quickly Fai took another step back, now completely in the moonlight. He however didn't make it another step farther. With a little cry his brother shot forward and wrapped his arms tightly around Fai's waist as he buried his own tearful face in his shoulder. Fai pulled him closer as he pressed his nose deep into Yuui's blond hair, insistent on engraving his scent in his memory. _

"_I want to go with you," Yuui muttered as his tears stained his brother's jacket. At his words Fai shook his head although he didn't think for a moment of pulling out of this hug. _

"_No," he said as he pulled him closer. "You need to finish school. You still have a life ahead of you Yuui." _

"_You do to!" He insisted but Fai shook his head. _

"_Not here. I won't be able to move on here." With one last squeeze he pulled back as his eyes shone with tears. "I have to go." He said for the final time. Slowly the other twin nodded. _

"_D-do, do you have your cell phone?" He asked._

"_And its charger." _

_Silence resumed then and than Fai turned away and walked out of the open window onto the branch of the tree beside it. Making sure he got his footing Fai turned around and looked at his twin one last time before giving him one last fake smile._

"_Guess I'll see you at the trial." He said before he jumped out of the tree and ran into the darkness, tears running down his face as his voice cracked. _

_He didn't know where he was going, but he just wished that Yuui was able to come with him. _

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Caught in his thoughts he never realized just how close he had come to his small apartment. He sighed gratefully as the storm had suddenly descended upon the city of sadness. He knew he was getting close due to the cardboard boxes that lined the streets and the people filling them, dreadfully trying to escape from the storm which was being thrust upon them. Fai knew that as long as he lived he would never be able to get used to the sight of those poor people, he wished badly he could help them but he knew that if he could he wouldn't be in a state so close to theirs.

He twitched as he heard a cry coming from behind him. Whipping around, his blond hair sending droplets of rain as the pieces moved, he saw a man holding the hand of a little girl in a pink skirt and ripped grey shirt. Fai frowned, knowing that any sensible parent would never let a child that young be outside at this time of night. The girl pulled at her hand with her free one and Fai froze as he heard her screech when the man pulled at her hair, trying to force her to go into the alley behind him.

Anger welling up in him he charged forward towards that bastardly man. This however, he realized, was the wrong approach so pulling on a calm face he slowed as he got closer.

"Excuse me," He called out, the man freezing as he saw the blond teen before him. "I really think she doesn't want to go with you."

The young girl turned around to face him revealing bright green eyes welling with tears. A little mesh of brown hair covered her head and that face pleaded for him to help her.

"This doesn't concern you." The grubby man snarled, his scruffy jaw shaking with anger at being interrupted. Fai shrugged his shoulders in a careless way, that smile still placed on his face. "I guess that's true, however, you're avoiding my point here." Now he opened his eyes and his smile turned slightly dangerous. "Are you going to let her go?"

The man before him spat out a few words Fai chose to ignore, something about his mother and him spending a summer eve together or something. But when he didn't answer his question Fai chose to act on his threat.

Aiming a punch at the man's gut he felt his fist meet this dirty man's torn clothes and quickly raised his other arm to block the incoming fist aimed at his jaw. Grabbing this arm he pulled the man so his back was exposed and aimed a kick at his backside sending the dirty pedophile to the ground as he splashed in a newly made puddle.

Meanwhile Fai turned around and decided this was when they needed to take their leave.

"Quickly!" He said waving the girl towards him. Reluctantly she moved forward but her speed quickened when she heard the swears coming from the quickly rising man.

He heard her soft footfalls as she rushed to catch up with him and Fai looked around earnestly for a place to hide. His eyes widened when he saw what he was looking for, the brightly lit entrance to the underground train system of the city. It shone magnificently in the storm, the only source of light in this dark atmosphere. Fai stopped running when he noticed the drenched girl panting beside him. Whipping around he saw that the man was still in pursuit, obviously quite angry at being kicked to the ground by a skinny drenched boy. Without waiting for permission he scooped the girl up in his arms and made a dash for the subway entrance. More than likely the man would stop chasing them once they were in the middle of a hustling crowd.

The loud pounding of hail like rain in his ears ceased abruptly when they burst through the subway doors. Heart beating wildly beneath his drenched clothes he felt the girl shiver in his arms. Looking around he tried to ignore the surprised looks of the people in front of him as he looked for a place to set the girl down. By now she was rustling earnestly against him, telling him she was obviously not comfortable with this stranger carrying her in such a way. Setting her down he noticed a blue waiting bench far to their right and motioned for her to follow.

Clothes dripping a trail of dirty water he heard her slowly follow him through the quickly moving crowd. He stopped when they reached the bench and with a sigh he flopped lazily down. Eyes closed he waited as he heard the small girl sit gingerly beside him. Opening his eyes with a little smile he gave out a laugh.

"Well that was exciting." He said light heartedly as he pulled a pale hand through his wet hair. The girl with the bright green eyes did not respond. She sat silently on the bench with her hands folded in her lap, her colored orbs staring at her holey shoes as if they were the most interesting thing in the world.

Looking closer at her now Fai quickly discovered she was much older than he first thought her to be. By her young appearance and her short stature she appeared to be a girl of only ten years until he looked at her cheeks and quickly saw that she was maturing more than a ten year old should. Silently he decided that she had to be at least 12 years of age. All this time she still kept her eyes glued to the floor, whether it was out of shyness or fear Fai never found out. He saw her tiny body heaving up and down much more than his own at the little run they had just participated in. Fai had not contemplated what to do next, actually he was quite sure they would never make it this far. He knew the right thing to do was to try and contact the girl's parents, but against his better judgment he decided against it. Any parent who would let their daughter roam around after the sun went down in Loshin city was obviously not fit to raise children.

But what should he do then? He could call child services but they would probably try and send her back to her family anyways. Out of the corner of his eyes he looked at the panting girl and quickly decided he needed to do something to return the girl's heart rate to normal. Taking off his backpack he put it on top of his lap, digging through its many contents. Instantly the tween's eyes were torn from the ground and she looked ready to jump from her seat and run again.

"Don't worry." He said sending the girl a warm smile. "I'm not going to hurt you."

Although she did not run he could tell she did not trust him. Honestly he didn't blame her, she did just have a run in with a man who at first must have seemed innocent, and than tried to molest her. Finally his hands emerged wrapped around a small plastic bottle. Holding the water out towards her he gave her another one of his goofy grins. Her eyes widened and she shook her head. "You sure?" He offered her again before placing it down on the bench in between them. Before she could even finish nodding he saw her freeze up. Curiously his blue eyes followed hers and saw she was staring at the golden colored apple lying in his bag. Fai laughed slightly; he had forgotten that he had put that in there earlier this morning incase he got caught up in his factory work and had no time to eat. Before he thought he would not need it, now he was glad he had brought it along.

Grasping it gingerly in his pale hands he held it out towards her. This time her resistance crumbled quicker her and he was not surprised when she grabbed it from him and began eating it ravenously. He knew the pangs of hunger were strong, especially on a body as young as hers. She finished it in no time and shyly looked at him with large green eyes begging for more.

He was slightly shocked when he saw the intensity of those bright jade colored orbs and felt a pang of guilt at having nothing else to give her. His smile dampered as he shook his head but her smile didn't change and Fai could tell that this was indeed a very warm hearted child.

"May I?" She asked politely pointing to the water. Nodding his head Fai saw her drink deeply from the crumbling plastic container and when she had had her fill she set it down on her lap and put the lid back on. "Thanks," She said shyly and then she was smiling up at him again. "For the food and for saving me as well."

Fai found it hard to smile back at this statement because he felt his insides boil with rage. How could someone want to hurt this child in anyway? Suddenly he wished he had done more than just push the guy in a puddle of street water. "Your welcome," was all he said as he zipped his backpack closed again. "What are you doing out so late at night?" he inquired. It was only then that her smile wavered and he instantly missed the warmth it brought with it.

"My mom woke me up really early this morning saying we were going somewhere today. I was surprised I have been…" her voice trailed off and Fai waited for her to continue. "…sick lately, so we had not gone anywhere in a while. But when she stopped the car and told me to get out we were in the middle of the city. Mommy didn't follow me out." His heart sank at these words; he knew where this was going. "Before I could even close the door she had driven off." By now her voice had started to crack and she was crying openly. At first Fai didn't know what he should do. Back home he never had any younger siblings and he had never babysat in his life. He was not used to dealing with small children crying but his instincts quickly took over him. When she continued to cry softly he felt his hand rest itself on her shoulder and she tensed up slightly before turning to smile up at him. This smile did not light up her entire face like the first one did.

"Do you have any family other then your mom? Is there anyone I can call for you?" She shook once more. "It was always only me and my mom." She responded.

They stopped talking after that as Fai realized that he had no idea what to do with her. All he knew was that he could not leave her alone. But he was quickly running out of options on what to do.

"What is your name?" she suddenly asked, her shy smile creeping back onto her face.

He smiled back at her and he felt his eyes sparkle. "Fai D. Flowright at your service!" he said with a small bow causing her to giggle.

"Fai-san?" she asked, "Could I come home with you?"

Instantly he froze, his mouth opening but words refusing to come out. Left speechless his immediate answer was going to be a no. He could hardly support himself, let alone a child! …But he was starting to see that there was nothing else he could do at the time. He couldn't leave her alone in the subway station to be picked up five minutes later by another pedophile. Yet, he couldn't afford to keep her. At least if she stayed with him for the night he might be able to find a suitable shelter for her the next day so she could get adopted by a nice family.

Sighing he let out a little laugh, his smile never leaving his face. "Looks like we're stuck together!" he said cheerfully and instantly her entire body brightened. He was surprised when she threw her little arms around his waist and surrounded him in a huge, warm hug. "Oh thank you Fai-san! Thank you thank you thank you!" He laughed at her eagerness and patted her on the head. Already he was getting attached to this adorable kid.

Standing up he held is backpack in one hand looking at her as she held out her left hand expectantly. Slowly he took his small hand in his pale one and they walked back towards the subway entrance. Once they were there Fai notice it was still raining quite violently. Letting go of her hand he placed his backpack down and took his leather jacket off of his shoulders, knelling down next to her.

"We have quite a ways left to go, and we are going to have to run. Do you want me to carry you?" He asked her quietly with that same comforting smile gracing his features. She nodded quietly and he saw her let out a yawn. Wrapping the jacket over her body he put his backpack on and picked the girl up, placing her head against his shoulder. Making sure his jacket would protect her little face from the rain he made a move to step outside again before he felt a little tug on his ear.

"Fai-san?" she whispered. "I think you should know that my name is Sakura." Fai felt himself smile.

"Well Miss Sakura-chan, are you ready to depart?" She giggled at him once before nodding. "Alright." He said as he walked out into the pouring rain, oblivious to how it was staining his clothes. The only thing that mattered to him right now was the little girl wrapped in his jacket. "Looks like we're homeward bound."

So what do you think? Review please!


	2. Living on a Prayer

**Hello! Let me introduce myself; im Destiny's Daughter, author of Loshin City. Sorry I didn't say hi in the last chapter, I was so excited with having finished it that I posted it straight away…without any editing (sweat drop) as im sure you guys probably noticed. Anyways, this is my first Tsubasa Story so im sorry if it doesn't turn out too good, I will try my hardest!**

**Thanks to:**

**PhrshxxxBear**

**Flowing Breeze**

**Dao Lian **

**And **

**Melissa Brite **

**For Reviewing!**

**Disclaimer: I will never own Tsubasa; no copyright infringement intended.**

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Chapter Two: Living on a Prayer

If there was one obvious trait about Kurogane it was that he hated waiting. Sitting at the end of his pallet on the floor he remained on the outside calm and stone like, the only show of emotion being the restless tapping of his finger on his knee. Staring at his watch, crimson eyes swore they just saw the small minute hand move backwards. Biting on his lip to stop himself from growling out loud and awaking the boy in the bed beside him he remained in his still, natural sitting pose.

It was almost 1:30 in the morning and Kurogane hadn't slept since the night before but he didn't show it; he never showed what he was truly feeling. This wasn't important to him however; the only thing that was on his mind was the welfare of the sleeping child across the room from him. He had gotten a hint from an old friend that there was going to be a fight tonight, and this time Kurogane wanted in. He never enjoyed the grim business of street fighting for money but, like usual, he was way too behind on his rent.

It was obvious he would need the money this fight would provide when he won. Anyone who looked at his torn clothes, his wrecked apartment, heck the fricken area he lived in could tell. Kurogane knew this, but he didn't care about what he didn't have. He was one of those few people who were actually grateful for what he and the kid had. Sure, he wouldn't mind having a few shirts that didn't have any holes in them and he would appreciate if he could get more than 5 channels on his television, but he was thankful he even HAD clothes to put on his back and a television to watch. There were times when his cell phone got disconnected, when the landlord turned the heat off in the middle of winter, and when he and the kid starved for a week, but at least they didn't live on the street.

He growled inwardly at himself when his heart pounded from beneath his skin, like it always did when thinking about the 16 year old brat rolling anxiously in his sleep. He didn't like how he had gotten attached to his housemate; he refused to believe that this was some sort of emotion like fatherly love or devotion. But as he turned his head towards the sleeping form he felt his eyes soften. Brown hair covering his forehead the boy was hugging his pillow like it was some sort of teddy bear. His blanket half off Kurogane saw his body shiver ever so slightly in the cool summer night.

Standing up silently he made his way towards the boy's bed, grabbed his pale blue comforter and pulled it up from around the kid's ankles so that it was covering his shoulders. Instantly the boy stopped shivering, but too quickly, making Kurogane think he had woken the young teen. However, his tensed muscles relaxed when he heard the slow, steady rhythm of the breathing of a sleeping boy. Walking back to where his makeshift bed was on the floor he grabbed his jean jacket and pulled it on. Silently he crossed back over the room and with a glimpse out of the corner of his eyes he saw that the boy was still asleep and decided to make his move and leave.

Swiftly he moved through the tiled kitchen and grabbed his keys off the counter top. He had barely put the key in the slot on the doorknob to unlock it when he heard the sound of quiet footfalls behind him. Kurogane didn't tense up, knowing exactly who it was, but did turn around to face the youth behind him.

"Kurogane-san?" he heard the half awake boy mumble in the darkness.

"Oi." He responded shoving his hands into the pockets of his fading jean jacket, muttering darkly in his head as he did. This kid was even more of a light sleeper than he was at time; he was sure he had been silent! "What are you doing up this late?" He said his crimson eyes staring darkly at the boy who rubbed his own chocolate brown ones to brush the sleep away. "You start school in a few weeks."

The brown haired boy shook his head and Kurogane noticed how his hands had clenched into fists at his side.

"I couldn't sleep." He said quickly and the young man saw his charge's eyes narrow. "Where are you…" his voice trailed off as realization dawned on his face. He looked up so he was staring right into those cold crimson orbs that were staring calmly at him.

"You're going to fight again." He said simply a touch of bitterness flowing out with his words. Kurogane didn't respond, feeling the kid's anger rise.

"You don't have to do this! If you just let me get a job instead of forcing me to go back to school then maybe-!"

"You are going back to school and that is final Syaoran." Kurogane said in his 'im not fucking around with you' tone. Immediately Syaoran shut his mouth but the older male knew that inwardly the kid was screaming.

"Why won't you let me help you?" he pleaded in a whispered voice. "You know that I could make enough money for us to last. Why do you insist on doing everything on your-?"

"We are not having this discussion now." Kurogane stated, his eyes closing under tilted brows. He did not want to argue with the kid; but more importantly he didn't want him knowing why Kurogane wanted him to finish school so bad. When the boy didn't respond he opened his eyes and looked at the boy who was staring at the floor his feet were standing on. He felt his eyes soften as he took in the boy's helpless, dejected look. Moving forward he felt his body twitch as he put a hand on his shoulder.

"Go to bed." He ordered his voice hard even though there was kindness in it. "And you better be asleep when I get back."

Syaoran didn't respond.

Muttering an oath Kurogane moved towards the door and unlocked it before walking outside. He was about to close the door and lock it again when he took one last look at the angry teen. "Kid." He called quietly through a half closed door. "Im locking the door behind me so don't try and follow." Once again he was met with silence so he shut and locked the door before descending the three flights of stairs to the bottom level of the building. Only when he was outside, breathing in the cool night air did he sigh and run a hand through his jet black hair, the other still hidden beneath the folds of the denim he was wearing.

Confrontations were becoming the norm for the two of them. Syaoran insisted constantly that school was not an important part in his life, that the two of them surviving was more important. He was furious when Kurogane told him he had to quit his summer job to go back for another year in high school. Although retaliation wasn't common from the younger boy, it was obvious that Syaoran wasn't willing to back down this time. However Kurogane refused to let what happened to him happen to Syaoran. It was his job to make the money for the house, and it was HIS job to make sure that Syaoran successfully graduated high school so he could have a good life.

The young adult moved quickly towards the subway, his eyes and body stature saying he was bored. Anyone who knew him though could tell that he was anything but unaware as his eyes calmly searched the area before him for any signs of Loshin City's worst form of nightlife. Kurogane refused to sit in the subway, insistent that he be ready for action if it came on him from any direction. However, as his body remained alert for trouble, his mind wandered back towards the dangerous subject of Syaoran's attitude.

Not being able to trust the kid was something that severally bothered the red eyed warrior. When he had found the young boy, broken and left to rot in a dumpster, he had never guessed that this frail, drug addicted kid was only fourteen. That was two years ago. Since then the black haired fighter caught his companion snorting meth six times, had to save his ass from a gang whooping two times and had already had to bail him out of jail twice. The worst part was, was that Kurogane had known that more stuff happened to the wrecked boy and he never found out about it. He was very cautious with the kid when he was at the apartment, watching for changes in his attitude, carefully making a mental note of all of his favorite hiding spots for drugs in the past to see if he started injecting again, and much more. He was never angry with Syaoran when he came home to see the boy high on his couch, more disappointed than anything. The little brat kept on trying so hard to leave that part of his past behind. But every so often, when life became to difficult for him to cope with, he would start up again. And Kurogane put up with it all. The mood swings, the tears, the vows of hatred when Kurogane tried to help him, everything. And each time it would end with the boy collapsed in his arms fighting back tears as he tried to cope with staying away from his addiction.

The kid was a kindhearted boy; Kurogane had no doubt about that. But it was that same kindheartedness that made him so vulnerable to the dark side of Loshin City.

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"_What did you think you were doing?" Kurogane growled angrily as he applied the medicine with a cotton ball on Syaoran's shoulder. The boy winced as his knife wound on his right stung painfully._

"_They were beating an innocent puppy what was I supposed to do?" he mumbled in response. "If I didn't do what I did they would have killed it."_

_Kurogane didn't speak. Although he never got the chance to say it out loud, as he was not sure that his pride would let him do so, he was very proud of Syaoran for what he did. It was more of fatherly worry than actual anger that the black haired fighter was expressing although no one would DARE call it that._

"_The point is you should have noticed at one point or another that they had a knife on them. What did you think the shiny things in their hands were? Rulers?" he muttered shaking his head as he went to bandage it. "You got to be more careful." _

"_I will next time." The young boy promised and Kurogane sent one of his famous stares his way. "Dead men don't get second chances Kid." _

_His companion just smiled._

_Kurogane kept his glare in place as the silence continued. Finishing his work he saw the boy's body slacken. Careful not to move his hands off of Syaoran's shoulder his wine colored eyes moved quickly to get a glimpse of what dampered the boy's spirits. Brown eyes staring off into space he kept his hands folded in his lap and his lips pursed shut. Kurogane gave a small sigh mistaking the boy's look for that of guilt._

"_Im not that mad you know." He said, struggling to keep his embarrassment from creeping up to color his cheeks. _

_Syaoran didn't respond immediately and Kurogane looked him straight in the eyes. "Kid what's wrong?" _

_The teen looked up into those eyes and seemed to be struggling with his next words. When he talked next, his words were rushed and wavering._

"_Kurogane-san can you teach me how to fight?" _

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When Kurogane got off the subway he instantly searched out the area before him, gazing expectantly at the nearby bars. Walking forward he went towards the nearest entrance and waited just outside the doors for the signal that the fight was to begin.

The thing about the people who ran this entire, illegal fight club was that they were always unpredictable about when and where their next fights were going to be. There was only one person who organized the fights, and they were the ONLY ones who sent out the text messages to their contacts. You had to be on their contact list though, and that meant that only the specail, unlucky few got the pleasure of telling all who thought were worthy of knowing.

So Kurogane waited and waited, hands still hiding for protection from the bitter cold night. He found himself once again tapping his finger, this time against his upper thigh as his blood pounded through his body. He just wanted this to be done and over with already.

Finally he heard somebody calling his name. Eyes following the direction of the voice he saw a tall dark haired man walking towards him, a bored frown fixed on his face. His name was Touya, the 'old friend' Kurogane got the contact information about. The tall youth was a few years younger than the dark haired fighter. They had met on the street one eve when Kurogane was 15. Touya being nearby, saw Kurogane getting beaten to a pulp (although he insists until this day that he was doing fine), and Touya decided to help him. Together they had beaten off the five powerful men who had attacked them and they had been friends ever since.

"Oi." Kurogane said in greeting, nodding his head as the boy leaned against the wall beside him. "You're late."

He shrugged carelessly. "Couldn't get away from the parents, dad was having another one of his drunken fits." His eyes darkened considerably and Kurogane took this as a sign not to press him.

Together they waited and the dark haired fighter took in the sight of his companion. Dressed in his usual patchy clothes the boy was staring off into space, refusing to make eye contact with Kurogane even though he knew that his eyes were upon him. This made the crimson eyes contract; something was definitely wrong with him.

"So," Touya implied, head still arched up towards the sky as he slouched against the wall. "How's the kid doing?"

He snorted in response. "As well as anybody else in this blasted city."

Touya gave out a small laugh. "So you're worried about him then?"

No response.

Shaking his head, Touya's laugh evaporated as did the little smile which had made its way onto his face. "You know," he said quietly turning his head to look at the taller boy. "If you want me to take him off your hands for a few days I c-"

"No." Kurogane snarled immediately in a voice which was a lot colder than he wanted it to be. "The kid is my responsibility."

Even though it was not uncommon for him, he didn't mean to snap at Touya. It was very thoughtful for him to offer, considering that he was already mistrustful of the kid and his habits. But this was one subject that Kurogane dared anyone to breach. He was completely capable of raising Syaoran, and he wasn't going to let anyone tell him otherwise. He would be the father the kid needed, the father Kurogane never had.

"This isn't just about the kid is it?" Touya said turning towards him, his face all serious. Before the spiky haired man could answer a sparkler was lit and set flying up into the sky, lighting up the dark night in an even darker city. Shouts were heard and the sound of a gun was fired. The two young adults turned their heads towards the sounds, both instantly alert.

Touya sighed. "You're a real pain you know that?" shaking his head he laughed again. "Ready to have your ass kicked?"

Kurogane smirked as he moved away from the wall. "You wish. Hope you weren't planning on betting to high tonight." Touya moved with him a wolfish grin spreading across his features. "Shall we go?"

The tall warrior shrugged. "Your funeral."

Together they walked forward grimly to the group of people in the nearby street corner.

The fight club was about to begin.

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Syaoran stared angrily at the closed door in front of him for the longest time before racing back to his room, slamming his door in the process. He kept on trying to remind himself that this was Kurogane's choice. But the young teen couldn't help but feeling terrible, angry, and…useless. Feeling his body shaking with uncontrollable emotions he gave out a yell of annoyance. Spewing out curses his limbs started pounding against the bed, the floor and the walls. He felt one of his legs kick out, sending something flying across the room towards the door. A sound of rustling fabric was heard hitting the wall before silence resumed.

His hands clenched once more at his sides he tried to keep his breathing steady, failing when he tried to calm himself down. Keeping his brown orbs closed he tried to focus  
on his breathing. When he felt his racing heart slow and his heated blood cool Syaoran decided it was safe to open his eyes again. Waiting for his vision to adjust to the darkness weighing heavily on his room he checked to see if he permanently damaged any of its occupants. It was extremely uncommon for Syaoran to lose his cool but when he did, he found himself regretting it instantly afterwards. Looking around he noticed a bundle of cloth that was kicked away from its usual spot next to his bed. Eyes softening he realized what it was and knelt down to the scrunched up blankets. Separating the three thin cloths he folded them individually in half. Placing two on top of each other as a makeshift mattress and blanket he folded the last one into a small pillow.

As he finished making Kurogane's bed he felt his heart beat guiltingly. This usually happened whenever Syaoran dared to look where Kurogane slept. Compared to his two blankets on the floor Syaoran's single bed looked fit for a lord. Once again that familiar pounding quickened against his chest and he felt his eyes beginning to burn.

Kurogane gave up so much for him; for a kid he at first barely knew. However the last two years made them form a bond, a bond that Syaoran refused to admit to be a family tie. He had no family, and as far as he knew, neither did Kurogane.

Maybe that's what made them so close to each other. They were all each other had.

Syaoran's father died when he was very small, succumbing to a heart attack in his mid twenties. He was a young child at the time, barely able to understand that his father was not coming back. Being sent into foster care there were many people who tried to get him to talk about what happened, about his father and how much he missed him. But to Syaoran, remembering was just too painful to handle. Being sent from foster home after foster home was easier than getting attached to anyone who he thought might leave him. By the time he was finished with his fourth home, he didn't even try to remember his foster parent's names. The worst part was that his foster parents really didn't care what happened to him either. Maybe that's what drove him over the edge.

It was the end of his first year in his last home that he was introduced to the drug life. He started hanging around with some of the boys who spent the better parts of their days smoking by the back end of the school. To this day Syaoran still didn't remember exactly how he got mixed up with those sorts of people, all he knew was that one day he was alone, and the next he was surrounded by people. These people, Syaoran insisted to himself, were not his friends. He didn't want friends, and they stood by his decision and didn't get too attached to him.

At first smoking was just something he did when hanging around with the group; since everyone else was doing it why shouldn't he? Then it developed into something more than just something the teen did when bored. Soon his drugs stopped being an option, and formed into a need, an escape from the hell that was reality; it became his only reason for living. He soon ran out of money to buy his own substances with, so he secretly began to steal from his foster parents. At first he was careful, only taking a little money at a time, but as his addiction grew and he found himself needing more and more drugs he knew he needed more money. Getting a job was out of the question; everyone around here now knew him to be a miscreant since by now he had stopped going to his classes almost completely. Even with his grades going down the drain his foster parents didn't seem to care too much. However, when his foster father caught him stealing four twenty dollar bills from his foster mother's purse, all hell broke loose.

Holding him by his throat his pretend 'father' almost choked him to death, saying if he ever stole from them again he would send him back where he came from. Syaoran never showed it at the time, but he was dreadfully afraid of being abandoned again. So when he was finally released from his death hold he scrambled out of the house, never to return again.

He was fourteen when he left his last foster home. The brown haired youth never knew how long he lived on the street, but at that time the fact that he was homeless had almost no effect on him. All that mattered to him was that he no longer had any way of getting his drugs.

The worst part was that at this time, it was winter. Wrapped only in the sweater he had been wearing when he left, he was almost certainly doomed to die a frozen death. Fate however showed him no pity, and when doing an unspeakable act for money he was introduced to his latest addiction, warmweed.

No one knew exactly what warmweed was and where it came from. All the people on the street knew was that when chewed it spread the warmest of feelings throughout their body, shutting away the cold of the world for the few blessed moments it was in their mouths. It was the only thing that kept him alive during the time he was homeless. Usually these drugs and sometimes a scrap or two of food was acquired by spending a few painful nights with lonely men Syaoran picked up off the streets. However, at the time he usually didn't remember what happened, only that he woke up in pain and with a package of warmweed clutched in his hands. He wasn't lucky all the time though.

He had been without warmweed for about two weeks one time. It was the most hell full days of his life. Then one morning he knew he could wait no longer for someone to come find him and resorted to pick pocketing. In the frozen depths of a winter day Syaoran tried to steal a lighter out of what appeared to be a helpless teenaged female. What he didn't know was that she was the girlfriend to a gang leader who happened to be standing nearby, watching as Syaoran tried to steal his girl's lighter. The helpless boy didn't bother to think of what would happen if he got caught, all he knew was that he hadn't had a high in weeks and it was quite literally driving him insane.

Before he could even get a hand on the girl's lighter and warmweed he was dragged into a nearby alley and beaten out of his senses. The only thing Syaoran remembered of that day was immense pain and the smell of decaying trash all around him. After lying where he was left to die for what seemed like hours and trying desperately to shout for help his silent prayers were answered. He blacked out almost as soon as he saw the large looming form of his rescuer cover him in shadow. Syaoran was forever grateful that it was Kurogane who found him and not some strange pedophile or rapist. Syaoran immediately formed a bond with the older male, whether out of gratitude or not he would never know.

For the last two years he had lived with the cold adult and although times were hard they always seemed to pull through together. That was until the crimson eyed Kurogane found out his newly acquired housemate was a hopeless drug addict. Times after that had been tough between the two. As Kurogane struggled with earning enough money to raise the kid, he also tried to coax Syaoran out of his addiction. There were fights, when Syaoran resisted all help and screamed and shouted. Spiting out hateful words like venom he told Kurogane he hated him, that he had no right to destroy the one thing that was keeping him sane. Once it even verged on physical when the teen went up and tried to hit Kurogane. That ended up with Syaoran being pinned to the floor with the martial artist on top staring at him, not angrily, but cold none the less.

There were many times Syaoran was reduced to tears, many times when Kurogane burned his drugs on the spot, many times when the usually cold fighter wrapped the shaking child in his arms and kept him safe from his own mind. It was this rare tenderness that made the link between them so strong. Even when Syaoran voiced that the fires of hell would have been easier to live with than him, how he wished Kurogane never rescued him, the tall man would take it all in silence.

Sighing he flopped down on his bed. Kurogane gave up so much just so he could be fed, clothed, and housed. He never asked for anything in return and was there to help him through everything. Syaoran blinked back tears and when that didn't work he angrily swiped them away with the edge of his t-shirt. The crimson eyed warrior was the closest thing he had to a family, other than his deceased father. If so, than why was it so hard for Kurogane to accept that family were supposed to look after each other?

Inhaling great gulps of air to make his heart stop racing he sat up and made his way to the television lying in the room opposite to the kitchen. Ignoring his housemate's warning that he should be in bed Syaoran sat down on the floor and turned it on. He knew there was no way he was going to be able to sleep with thoughts of a hurt Kurogane plaguing his mind. He knew he should dismiss that idea entirely; the dark haired man had obviously had training and was used to the rough idea of street fighting. But the teen also knew that people on the street were unpredictable and limitless. It wasn't so much the fight he was worried about, but what might happen after the fight.

So to distract himself from the long sleepless night ahead of him he plopped down on the floor, since they had no couch, and flipped through the few channels they could afford on their television. Unfortunately the only somewhat appropriate channels consisted of Blue's clues and the news. If his dignity would have let him Syaoran would have given in and watched the kid's shows rather than the news.

Nobody in Loshin City enjoyed watching the news, since it was a painful reminder just how despicable and horrid this world was. Nevertheless he found himself watching that channel, thinking he could cope with whatever disturbing city could come up with. Syaoran was never more wrong. A factory closed here, a coupe of rapings there, another devastating shooting of four high school teens and Syaoran was through and turned the device off as quickly as he turned it on. This channel left Syaoran utterly depressed; he knew he shouldn't let this bother him, after all this kind of thing happened often. This did not mean he enjoyed it any more than the next person.

_Why is the world so cruel to us? _Syaoran thought as he pulled his knees closer to his body, staring at the grey carpeted floor. _Why does suffering have to be so customary for this place?_

With bitter thoughts running through his head, he couldn't help but slowly pry his gaze away from the floor and towards the kitchen. The second his chocolate spheres grazed over the white tiles he felt his body jerk forward. Limbs shaking he tried to cover his hands with his mouth, afraid of what would come out. He felt vile rising out from his throat and choked it back down. Limbs shaking at his sides Syaoran's hands urged him to move forward. Forcing his head to tear its gaze away from the kitchen he buried his face in between his knees.

"No," he moaned, willing the throbbing in his head to go away. "It will pass, it will pass."

Or at least, that's what Kurogane always told him. Whenever the urge came across his features the older man would lay a hand on his and say to him; '"Just wait kid, it'll go away."' And Syaoran always believed him so sure enough, whether he used his drugs or not, the feeling would pass.

But this time, Kurogane wasn't there to enforce that act. His shaking continued and the urge did not go away. Soon the feeling began to tear away at his resistance, causing his closed eyes to slowly open and his shaking body crawl like an obsessed animal towards the tiled floor.

On all fours he felt around desperately on the white tiles for what he was looking for. Tears blurring his sight coming from his chocolate orbs he found the tile closest to the kitchen cabinets. The one with the cracks on its corners, a crack so small no one would notice it unless they were lying on the ground like he presently was. Lifting up the corner of the cracked flooring he was able to create a hole large enough to lift up the rest of the tile, revealing his hidden stash underneath. Through his shaking eyes and his weakening body he could barely see the six filled syringes and the little plastic baggies that came with them for when they were empty.

Grasping one of the fully loaded syringes in his sweating hands he found himself pushing the sleeve of his t-shirt even farther up his arm.

_Just one, _he promised himself, unaware of how badly his body was screaming at him for his hesitation. _Just one and everything will be better again!_

Without another moment of uncertainty he shoved the needle in his arm, knowing exactly where the vein was without even looking. Taking a quick intake of breath, he ignored the momentary pain. Eyes hiding beneath a mesh of brown hair he groaned with delight as the drug possessed him. He had been away from this wonderful feeling for so long, and this new rush was welcomed with eager arms. He felt himself twitch as his mind went hazy, just the way he liked it. This embrace, this caress of forceful, immense pleasure was agonizing and merciful to Syaoran.

The young teen never found out how long he sat with that needle pressed into his arm, its contents already flowing rapidly in his body as he leaned against the tan kitchen cabinets. All he knew was that sooner than he though his high was weakening as quickly as it strengthened. That's when the twitching of his body started up again. There was no more of that calm feeling in his mind, only anxiety. With quivering fingers he swore and dug around in his hole for more syringes.

_NO! ,_ He thought whimpering to himself when his fingers refused to clutch the syringe._ It can't be ending; I don't want to go back to the real world. I don't want to! I don't want to!_

"I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK!" He screamed this time out loud. Grabbing the five remaining syringes he ran into the bathroom suddenly feeling very sick. Luckily for him he made his way to the toilet before the contents of his stomach sputtered out from between his lips. Along with this came a little blood from him biting down on his mouth so much, but he didn't care. Down on his knees once more he felt himself panting uncontrollably. Rotating so he was sitting on his rump he leaned against the toilet bowl and with a great gasp pushed two fully loaded syringes into both of his arms. With a loud intake of breath he threw his head back, his spine arching as he pushed the drug inside of him. Breathing hard he looked down once again, no thoughts going through his head but that of ending this miserable torture. Why wasn't it working? Why was it taking so long for the pain to go away?

The light above him started to grow blurry, turning into shapes, creatures coming out to attack him. These he ignored, taking it only as a sign that it was beginning to work. He grumbled to himself as he began to rub his arms, willing the drug to hurry and take ultimate control of his body and his emotions. Syaoran didn't want to feel pain anymore, he just wanted to be…free…

He needed to get away from this hell hole he lived in. Using this as an excuse for why he was doing this, Syaoran could not deny that this was not what he was supposed to be doing. But it was so hard to care when the only thing you had left that was worth living for wasn't there to help you start caring. This time his darker side had won control over what was left of his light side, and the teen could do nothing anymore but watch and plead with his body to stop reacting. It was too late to pull the syringes out now, too late to take out the drug he himself had injected, but as his body continued to shake with uncontrolled sobs he couldn't stop thinking of Kurogane.

The man, the one person who cared for him, had trusted him to act like the good kid he really was and go back to sleep. When telling him he was locking the door, he was telling him that he had given him trust to act properly inside his home, but had not earned the chance to be trusted with the outside world just yet. Syaoran had just proved his friend wrong and he knew that, he wasn't ready. He wasn't ready…no he wasn't willing to cope with the pain alone like Kurogane did.

Unaware of the tears which had been flooding his cheeks since he put in that first needle he wrapped himself tighter in his sweat covered arms. Suddenly he felt his skin begin to prick. Tensing up he pulled his bangs away from his face and stared down at his arms in horror.

Spiders, huge black spiders were crawling all over his skin. He shouted, scratching at the bugs, trying to push them away, trying to stop them from biting him but it didn't work. They were still there, still biting him, hurting his skin and plaguing his mind. Crying out with the knowledge that they were not going away, no matter how hard he tried, he mentally realized that he deserved this. He couldn't forgive himself for betraying the only person that mattered anymore. He deserved this pain, this end.

Crying and gasping he rocked back and forth as he continued scratching. Spiritually he cursed himself for his weakness; for giving in, for not fighting hard enough, he could almost see Kurogane's disappointed frown creeping wearingly on his face.

Once again he had let Kurogane down.

* * *

**Man the first few chapters are pretty depressing; but don't worry things will lighten up! **

**Next chapter Fai and Kurogane meet! ( HYUU!!! Im so excited to write that!)**

**Thanks for reading! **

**Signed,**

**Destiny's Daughter**

**P.S. Hyuu if you love Fai!**


	3. Champ

**Good afternoon everyone! Alright, so im not sure if I've mentioned this but this is my first Tsubasa fic so I need you all to tell me how I do with their characters and how I need to improve okay? **

**Btw, italics imply thoughts or a stress on a word. **

**Thanks to:**

**Nims Dias-angelovdarkness**

**PhreshxxxBear**

**Silver-Serval**

**InvertDouble**

**Melissa Brite**

**Flowing Breeze**

**Tomi Lang**

**Sweeter**

**AND**

**lilly love**

**For reviewing!**

Chapter Three: Champ

Walking down the sidewalk with his winnings clutched protectively in his pockets Kurogane tried to hide his arrogant smirk of contempt. As he predicted the men who had fought in today's match were chums, all punch drunk and easily defeated by this martial artist. Said artist was very happy with the way everything had turned out. Now he would be able to buy the kid some new clothes and still have enough money to pay the rent he was supposed to pay two months ago.

His jean jacket tossed carelessly over one shoulder he passed by buildings, many bars, all of them about to close. That was exactly what Kurogane didn't want; if the bars closed dangerous, drunken men would be pouring out onto the street, and if they noticed the men following him, they would know he held something of value and follow him as well. That was the LAST thing the dark haired man needed right now. It was obvious his journey home was going to be much prolonged. The fighting of these illegal fight clubs never ended when the cops came. The winners would be constantly stalked for the next few days, by people with hopes that they could somehow obtain the winnings. Usually after one of these fights Kurogane wouldn't even think about going back home in fear of a break in. However, he was worried about the state in which he had left the brat in.

He never liked being angry with the kid before they went their separate ways. It always made him have this fluttering feeling within his stomach for the rest of the day until Syaoran was back in his sights. He always had the feeling that he was going to do something stupid, and Kurogane didn't even want to think about what the idiot does when he's angry.

Kurogane decided to take a back route. If there was going to be a fight he did not want other people joining in and getting the cops involved. Snorting inwardly he turned into a small side branch, leading behind a closing bar and behind the apartments. He was still a good fifteen minutes walk back to the subway and than another ten minute walk to his own apartment, so he wasn't too worried about his followers finding out which area he lived in. Besides, if things went the way Kurogane expected, they would all be unconscious within the next few minutes.

He hid a smirk as low laughs were heard, issuing Kurogane expected, from the mouths of his followers. His smirk disappeared quickly though as he realized something: the laughs weren't coming from behind him anymore. It was only then that he muttered an oath, hearing footsteps behind him grow closer and closer.

They had boxed him in.

Cursing himself and his stupidity his red eyes scanned his surroundings to see if there was any possible way he could avoid being trapped, but he already knew it was too late.

"You cost us a lot of money champ."

Crimson eyes followed the sound of the voice, only to come upon a plumpish looking man with vibrant pink hair and black glasses. Surrounding him were two other men, tall, slightly muscular, but the fighter knew they would be easy to take down. Kurogane had to stop himself from laughing.

Kurogane snorted. "What you guys complaining for? It's not my fault you were stupid and bet on a bunch of pussies."

"Now, let's not get crude here." Another said.

The laughing stopped. His red eyes turned cold; he did not like the sound of that voice, it was calm…way too calm. Turning around he saw another group of men, these guys a lot more serious looking than the others. But it wasn't the body guard looking men Kurogane speculated over, it was the thin man sitting on a crate to the left which had caught his attention.

His elbows resting on his knees he held his head up with one hand. In his dark clothing it was very hard to tell just exactly what he was doing but his clam posture made Kurogane uneasy, although he didn't show it. Eyes hiding behind a pair of glasses, he was staring at the tall fighter, looking up and down, then up again. This was the part that really made Kurogane mad.

That was the gaze of a murderer.

"We're all gentlemen here, aren't we?" He said, a small smile placed on his pale face. It made Kurogane sick just looking at him; something was definitely not right.

He did not respond.

"We've been watching you for some time." He continued and the red eyed man raised a black eyebrow, showing his indifference. "We know things about you Suwa."

Kurogane shrugged, so they knew his name, that didn't matter too much. At least, he hoped it didn't. He did however, get into a fighting position; he did not want to be caught with his guard down in front of these people.

"Alert the media. It's not like I have anything to hide." That wasn't necessarily true…

The man on the crate laughed. "You have a illegal fight record a mile long, you've been in jail twice since age 16 for failure to comply with a police investigation and you are still being investigated for the murder of-,"

"Alright," Kurogane snarled. He didn't want anyone going there. "If you know so much about me you better be planning on getting the HELL out of here before I break your ass for-!"

"Now, Kurogane," He gently scolded. "You know I don't actually believe the murder charges. Remember what I've said? We've been watching you for a long time." He smiled again. "We know you don't have it in you to kill."

"Wanna bet?" he growled, but before he could charge forward he heard a rustle from behind him and quickly swung around, putting up a tan arm to block an attack aimed at his neck. Feeling something prick his arm, Kurogane chose to ignore it, focusing more on his opponent than a possible wound. Before the man could react to Kurogane's quick block, he reached out a muscled arm and quickly hit two pressure points on the man's neck. He dropped almost instantly, and the crimson eyes warrior was surprised when no further attack pursued.

Suddenly his heart started beating wildly and his head felt dizzy; it felt like his strength was draining slowly out of his limbs. With a low growl he tightened his fists and tried to stay upright, but his arm began to pulsate wildly. Crimson eyes widened for an instant as he stared down at his right arm, staring down at the needle poking out from his exposed flesh. Instantly he reacted, jumping the closest person to him. A few powerful punches to the face and the man was down, rendered into unconsciousness before the two remaining stupid looking men could grab a hold of the man beating their fallen comrade. Kurogane tried to fight back against the two people trying to restrain him, but with every passing moment he felt himself growing weaker. As the others were trying to stop him he raised his left hand and pulled the needle out, stopping it from injecting the rest of the drug into his body. But the damage was already done.

Falling to his knees he felt a foot being placed on his back, and his shoulders being held tightly. Lifting up his head weakly he looked at the man with the glasses and his two followers, the ones who hadn't moved this entire time.

"What did you do to me?" He snarled dangerously, although his voice was noticeably weaker than usual. Only now did the man in the glasses move. That same calm smile spread across his features, he moved towards Kurogane and knelt down so they were at eye level. He didn't answer his question.

"Who, who are you?" Kurogane asked, his tone getting calmer as he grew weaker. The man's smile never wavered, and that's when the fighter saw it. The glint in the man's glasses hindered for a moment and Kurogane looked behind it. His right eye was made of glass.

That was when he truly became nervous.

"Your gang leader Seshiro."

Seshiro shrugged. "And if I am?" His smile never left his face, "What does it mean to you? Does it mean you will comply?"

_Comply?_

_What exactly did this guy want? If he was here to take the cash they would have done it a long time ago._

Besides, the Tomya Gang probably had more money than half of the cities population. They along with the Bronyin Gang had been fighting for the city's domination for years now. So far, neither group had won.

"I'll…ask you one more time…" Kurogane managed to get out before his eyes forced themselves close. "What…did you do to me?!"

"We just gave you something to get you to cooperate better. But," he sighed then, "now we are going to have to make this very quick. Since you took out the needle before it finished injecting itself, it is quite likely that the drug will stop taking affect in about half an hour. So lets just let this move along shall we?" Laughing he cocked his head to one side.

Kurogane did not like where this was going. He tried to shake the two men off of him, but whatever shit they put into him was obviously taking affect. His gaze swaying in front of him he started swearing vigorously; he couldn't even clench his hands into fists anymore! He forced his eyes open once again.

"Not interested." He growled, gnashing his teeth as his opponent laughed. "What ever you're selling im not buying!"

"You know, we could easily win with men like you on our side, win the battle for the city I mean. All of Loshin will cower before us, with your skills added to my tactics. Our domination would be total."

So that's what he wanted of him. He wanted Kurogane to fight for him in some upcoming gang war. "Like I said." The black haired warrior said. "Not fucking interested." His voice was frightening, but the man before him smiled, seeing the young man's red eyes hesitantly closing again.

"Suit yourself." He said standing up. Seshiro turned around as if to leave but than paused, chuckling darkly. "Who knows, maybe one day you'll accept my generous proposition. A mans gotta feed his family right?" He threw his head back over his shoulder. "Then again, you don't have any family anymore. After we deal with that teenaged brat of yours…"

At this the red eyes burst open and he tried to move forward, a dog like sound erupting from his throat. "LEAVE HIM OUT OF THIS!" He shouted as he forced himself on his feet. Before his captors could react to his sudden movement Kurogane felt something wiz past his ear and heard a shout from behind him. Feeling someone else's blood splash against his cheek he used that moment to shake free from the loosened hold, turning around to see what happened.

His captors didn't care as one was helping to calm the other who had a…was that a dart protruding from his shoulder?

Then another dart with blue feathers fell out from the darkness, this time heading straight for Seshiro. He quickly moved out of the way, so the dart didn't pierce his stomach, but it still hit his upper thigh. He stumbled back into the arms of his comrades, shouting angrily.

"Hyuu~! I missed!"

Whirling around Kurogane searched for the sound of the voice. There, standing in the open back entrance to some bar, was a man. Tall and lean the man's blue eyes seemed to shine in the darkness. The threatening twinkle in those eyes was still there, even with that stupid grin on his face. Seshiro's remaining men didn't hesitate in their attacks. Kurogane barely saw what happened next. One moment the blond was standing there, the next he was almost flying through the air. When Kurogane looked again, the man was standing behind where his attackers were about to run towards, actually, he was standing almost back to back with Kurogane.

He didn't pay attention then; he needed to get rid of these guys and quick. He was almost ten times weaker than usual at the present and he didn't want to black out right in the middle of the fight. Deciding to go for quick and direct he ran towards the two men standing next to Seshiro. They had gotten over their original shock of the dart hitting their leader and were perfectly ready when Kurogane attacked them next.

That didn't mean they actually stood a chance though.

A quick punch to the jaw and on was knocked to the ground, and a quick hit to the others broke his nose.

He was about to swing around so he could catch that stupid fucking Seshiro but he heard a click from one of the men he had just hit and knew it would be unwise to turn away.

Suddenly he saw a flash that could only resemble metal. A shot went off and he quickly dove to the ground covering his head as the bullet whizzed over him. Looking around he saw the man cock the gun again, and his head whirled over towards the blue eyed man who was standing stupefied by some blow he had got to the head earlier.

"Watch out!" He shouted before he jumped up and pushed the blond over. They both went tumbling into a pile of trash. Covering their heads protectively he heard two more shots ring off.

Looking up he noticed it was one of Seshiro's men who had shot the gun. Pushing himself up of the blond idiot he fumbled in his pants pocket and took out his switchblade, ready to advance on them when he realized, that was utter stupidity. With a hand wave from Seshiro the men started to back off, but not before they let off another few shots. Jumping back to his safe haven he bashed into the blond and together they rolled behind the crates.

By the time the shots had stopped ringing off and Seshiro's laughter had all but disappeared, Kurogane felt like his head was about to split open. Curse that stupid man for letting that man inject that fucking shit inside of him. He lay there for what seemed like eternity, trying to fight off unconsciousness.

"Hello? Mr. Black? Mr. Black you alive in there?"

Kurogane growled, his brow furrowing as his eyes opened angrily. Before he could retort he realized he was staring straight into the sky. No; blinking the blue sky separated, he was staring into a pair of eyes. Although he would never say it out loud, those were the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. He tried to breathe in, to say something but found in hard to breathe. A sensible person would have said it was do to the drug, a romantic might have told you that Kurogane was stunned by the mans beauty, but any rational person would have said that the simplest answer was also the most obvious one:

"Get off my stomach!" Kurogane moaned angrily before reaching up a tanned arm to push the thin man off. He fell onto the concrete with a loud sound effect (sounding something like "Huyagh!" but Kurogane could not be sure). Laughing the young man beside him brushed himself of, holding out a pale hand to help the dazed fighter up.

"Tch," was the sound that issued from Kurogane's mouth as he pushed himself up weakly, ignoring how blurry his eyes were. "What the heck were you doing on top of me anyways?"

He tapped a long finger gingerly on his chin before smiling once again. "I believe that was because of you Mr. Forgetful." Laughing that carefree laugh of his Kurogane felt more embarrassed than irritated, but it was irritation that showed on his face.

"It's Kurogane." He muttered before turning around and bending down to pick up his switchblade. Suddenly he felt light headed and stumbled forward with a strangled gasp, hitting his head against the brick wall. Cursing he stumbled back into the arms of the man behind him.

"Let's sit you down then before you hurt yourself anymore." He said with a small smile on his face, forcing the red eyed warrior to sit down on the concrete path, leaning against the wall he had just hit his head on. The man sat down next to him. "You hurt Kuro-wanwan?"

"Im fine you stupid-!" he tried to resist then stopped. "What the hell do you mean by wanwan?"

"Well you sure were growling a lot back there." the blond said, his idiotic smile never once diminishing. "Just like a big black puppy!" Clapping his hands together his smile widened, and Kurogane felt his red eyes grow fiery. "That's it! You are now and forever dubbed…" he poked his shoulder right now and the fighter seriously considered punching out his rescuer. "…Kuro-puppy!!"

"Why you-!" But before he could snarl any sort of angry response he had to bite his lip, choking back the vile that was rising in his throat.

The blond man noticed the change in attitude and gave an apologetic smile. "A side effect of the drug no doubt." Sighing he leaned back against the wall and crossed his hands behind his head. "I guess I should stay with you until the drug wears off. We wouldn't want Kuro-rin here to get into anymore trouble now would we?"

Kurogane wanted so badly to respond, no one could guess just how badly he wanted to attack the man in front of him. However he knew that although this man was annoying, he wasn't doing anything deathly wrong, and besides, he doubted he had too much strength to move at the present moment. So biting his lip to stop himself from wasting energy he looked up at the sky, noticing that the nights clouds had disappeared and the morning atmosphere was tinted a blue shade lighter than it should have been. It was early morning now, in a few hours people would be heading to work; he wondered if the kid ever made it to his bed.

"So Kuro-chi," his comrade said poking him on the shoulder until the fighter turned to face him. "What are you doing out so late?"

"I should be asking you the same thing." He grumbled in reply.

He laughed cheerfully. "Im the pianist at the bar," he pointed at the door he had used for his entrance. "That bar to be precise. I was just closing up when I heard shouts. Lucky for you Kuro-damsel I still hadn't put away the dartboard."

Oh. So that's where the darts had come from. Instead of commenting he chose to ignore the damsel part the man had put on the end of his name. Sitting uselessly against the brick wall he let his mind wander towards the person placed beside him. He seemed like a harmless 20 year old guy; but when fighting against those men it was obvious he knew something about what he was doing. Although no one would guess if from that stupid, trusting grin on his face, anyone who lived in Loshin city obviously knew how to survive in it. What surprised him though was that whatever this guy did was purely defensive; the only offensive thing he did was throw those blue playthings.

Was this guy to naïve to realize that at that moment those thugs who attacked him were planning on killing him?

Kurogane heard the blond sigh and his crimson eyes followed his blue ones. Although the face was happy, Kurogane could tell that the guy beside him hid the entire world behind a smile. Why though? Now it was angering him. Ignoring his weakness he decided he couldn't wait any longer, he had to get out of here.

"Well," he said pushing himself up with his legs and standing up. "I need to get going." The man beside him stood up as well, a worried glint in his eyes.

"You sure you'll be okay?"

He laughed, god that was getting annoying. Was he a walking joke or something?

"I don't want my Kuro-puppy getting his nose into any trouble."

Alright, it's official. This guy was insane.

"Listen-," suddenly Kurogane stopped looking at the blond as he attempted to hide his curiosity. "What the hells your name?"

The man burst out laughing and the fighter growled, moving to pick up his jean jacket he had dropped in the scuffle, hoping the man wouldn't see the redness on his cheeks.

"I can't believe I haven't said my name yet." Crossing his arms over the back of his head again his blue eyes sparkled. God, those were some kickass eyes.

Wait, _WHAT?_

"My name's Fai."

Not a bad name either. Suits him.

DAMN!

Alright, now he _HAD _to get out of here; that fucking drug was making shit cram into his head.

"Well Fai-WILL YOU STOP DOING THAT?" he said angrily, his face the color of his eyes as the man brushed the rubble off his back. "Listen, I gotta go. Those shitfaces are probably going to be following me and I want to loose them before the sun gets too high." It was a feeble excuse, but it was all he could come up with at the time.

Fai just looked on curiously. "Follow you?" he said. Kurogane imagined if the man had cat ears they would have gone pencil straight. "That's weird; I haven't felt anyone watching us yet."

Kurogane's black brows furrowed and then he realized that he too hadn't sensed the presence of anybody else except for the mage in a while.

But wait…did that mean…?

Silently praying to whatever go god was out there he dug around in his coat pockets, but no, Fai was right.

There was no one following him anymore. Because he didn't have the money any more.

What happened next was beyond him. One moment the alley was silent, and the next Kurogane had picked up, in one hand, a full crate and threw it against the wall, yelling furiously.

He remembered now, seeing someone dig through his jacket while he tired to save the idiot blond from the speeding bullet. He hadn't thought about it then, but now, he remembered exactly what it was that he hand put in his pockets that was so valuable.

"You okay Kuro-cha-?" Fai never finished speaking. The angry man was already throwing on his jacket he stomped wearily towards the entrance of the alley and out onto the sidewalk, quickly disappearing without another word to the blond haired young man.

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Fai wanted to follow him. Yes he wanted to follow him very much. Why? He did not know.

Was it out of concern?

The man did just get attacked after all; but that just might mean he was prone to destruction.

_No. I am._ He thought to himself bitterly. _Remember, twins of destruction._

He sighed quietly to himself as he stared on in the direction where the man had left him for. He didn't like to remember the things that happened in his childhood; how kids used to call him and Yuui the 'Twins of misfortune (destruction, pain, etc.)'. He never paid attention to them, until that incident four years ago…after that everything seemed to go downhill.

He laughed at himself. Bitter thoughts aren't going to change the past, he thought, _or the present_.

Although he hadn't moved since Kurogane had left, he found himself desperately wanting to follow. Was this more than just concern for him he was feeling? Fai would never find out. Ignoring the want to run quickly after him he walked farther down the alley. Fai knew his place, and he knew he had no right to invade Kurogane's personal life.

But than why was it so tempting?

Was it because, for those few moments they were together, he didn't feel quite so alone anymore?

Silently he picked up the discarded darts and walked back into the open doorway of the bar. Placing the blue playthings on the counter he picked up his 4 year old and completely over worn leather jacket and threw it across his shoulders.

He had told Kuro-pippi that he was still closing up the bar, but to be honest the bar had closed at one and he had kicked the last few drunk men out by 1:30. All except for that last man who had talked to him earlier that same evening and asked if he had any plans after work, any sexual plans to be more precise.

Fai was more than disgusted with that man, was ready to get Souma to kick his drunken butt out before he caused any real offense, but stopped himself. That's when he asked those two words; how much.

Although he thought that man was a pathetic excuse for one, he was even more disgraced with himself. He could not believe he had accepted, but he knew that he too was behind on his rent. And working two jobs wasn't going to be able to pay for how late he was. It didn't hurt that bad; the man didn't actually want sex, but it was making Fai shake just thinking about what he had done.

Plus; Sakura had an appointment coming up soon, and the doctors would make him pay upfront.

The teen didn't know he was out tonight; she was a pretty heavy sleeper so it made it quite easy. He however didn't like leaving her three times a week during the night, always worried that she'd have a breakdown in the middle of the night and he wouldn't be there to help her.

Sighing he walked towards the back door keys in hand, and stepped outside into the fast approaching morning air. Locking up silently he wrapped his jacket over his thin form, placed that ever cheery smile on his face, and walked out onto the sidewalk, joining the small group of morning risers who were already crowding onto the street. Losing himself in the sounds of passing cars and quietly moving people he tried to keep his mind off of that strange man he had saved half an hour earlier and tried to think about something else.

The next on the list for things to worry about was definitely Sakura.

It had been two years since he had rescued her from that pervert, and things went well for the longest time…until Sakura got rushed to the hospital mid afternoon one day in grade eight.

He preferred not to think of that day; when blood started producing from her throat during the middle of her lunch break. He was phoned immediately, and being at the factory during that time he remembered having to threaten his boss, to shout at him, to beg with him to be let go for the afternoon so that he could go see her in the hospital.

It turned out Sakura had some sort of heart problem. It was a new found condition discovered right before WWIII ten years ago. It was an extremely rare condition now, but only because so many people died from having it. Fai was glad for that. Because the pain brought on by this disease was uncontrollable. There was a surgery that could be done to stop Sakura's heart from collapsing in on itself, but it cost way too much than Fai could pay for. Instead Fai took her once every two weeks to the doctor's office and they would put her to sleep so they could inject a specail liquid that could keep her heart together. It was dreadfully expensive and Fai was significantly in dept…but it was all to keep Sakura alive.

She had to take three aspirin a day just to stop the pain from overcoming her: and she was constantly watched by her teachers and Fai for any of the symptoms. The doctors had warned him that if her lower throat started swelling, or she was shaking uncontrollably or she started making sudden jerking moments that she was to be rushed to the hospital immediately. There were also a few less common signals such as frequent spells and a purple lump forming over top of her right breast. So far they hadn't had to worry about her too much, but the threat was constantly there. As a constant reminder, the injection they gave her made her loose her hair. That was a particularly painful experience for the young girl. Not because everyone was teasing her openly, but because people were whispering about her empty scalp when she wasn't looking. It was most likely the fact that they couldn't talk to her about it because they knew that there was a possibility that she could die any second.

It's true, there was a possibility that any time in any day that Sakura could die. It was amazing she had lived this long without the surgery. It was Fai's true wish: that she could forever rid of the thing which caused her mother to abandon her. And as much as it hurt Fai to see the poor girl suffer, it only made the time they spent together that much more valuable.

Through it all though, Sakura faced the world with a smile. At first Fai thought she was just doing this because she was dying, but soon, as he got to know the young girl better, he realized she was doing it not because she was dying, but because she was living.

She was kind to all she met, a true princess.

Maybe that's what made him love her.

Oh _NO_ not in _THAT_ way!

He had grown quite attached to the young girl, and he remembered one day when they went grocery shopping together how the cashier asked him if his daughter was buying anything separately.

He froze the first time he heard that. Not from disbelief, but from the shock that it was out in the open. It was true wasn't it? In the last few years they had become pretty close.

_Just like a real family,_ he thought to himself. And for the second time today (the first being when he was talking to Kurogane), Fai gave off a real smile.

That smile still wandering on his face he let his thoughts wander back to the tanned, black haired man he had met earlier. Musing softly to himself he wondered why he could get those eyes, those eyes as red as freshly drawn blood, out of his mind. Fai would never know that at that same time, that same man was struggling with the same sort of contemplation as him.

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To say the least, Kurogane was pissed. But on top of being pissed he was also angry, nervous, disappointed, and more than anything, deathly afraid. Yes, the immovable Kurogane Suwa was afraid.

_What am I going to fucking do? How am I going to tell Grosum-sama about this? _Grosum was the landlord for his apartment. He was a reasonable man, and had let a few paychecks slide when Kurogane was short on money, but with him, it was simple: three strikes and your out.

This would be his third month without paying rent. He had promised the old man he'd have it by this morning.

_Would he evict us? _Kurogane began to think but violently shook his head, dismissing that idea instantly. He would NOT let that happen to Syaoran.

By now Kurogane had already gotten on and off the subway and was heading wearily towards home. How much longer would he and the kid be able to call that place home?

The truth was, as much as he was bruised, and anxious, he was merely just completely and utterly exhausted. Not to mention the fact that he was still quite drugged from whatever bothersome substance those thugs put into him. He was all this and more, but he kept on walking, kept on moving forward; for there was nothing else for him to do.

Sluggishly his thoughts drifted away as he opened the door of the apartment's front lobby. They drifted to a far off place, where a blond haired blue eyed man smiled at him. Angrily he ran a hand through his raven black locks and tried to stop thinking of that stupid idiotic face, that naïve, trusting smile, and the way his pale skin felt against his tanned arms as he rushed the man out of harms way. He knows he should hate the man for not paying attention to the fact that the men had weapons, but he didn't. Besides, he did not regret for one moment for saving Fai's life…although at the time he didn't know why. He was just a stranger wasn't he? Still, Kurogane never liked the idea of someone getting hurt, and having someone to protect always made him stronger.

And strength was something he desperately needed right now.

By now he had already made it up the staircases to the third level and had dug through his pockets absent mindedly for his keys. Unlocking the thin door he stepped in the doorway

He froze.

Something was wrong.

The room before him was bathed in pink and golden sunlight as the sun desperately tried to peak over the towers blocking it. Still not fully raised, the light made the rooms furnishings seem to almost grow a sort of pinkish red. But it wasn't the sunlight that directed those crimson eyes to the source of the problems, it was the shadows.

And the smell.

Dark eyebrows narrowed as he walked briskly towards the tiled floor, pausing momentarily to gaze at the objects on the floor. He paused only briefly, that hole in the floor told Kurogane exactly what happened. He rushed towards the bedroom and forced the door open.

"Kid?" he called worryingly. Looking inside he saw the room almost exactly as he left it; except this time Syaoran wasn't there. He paused for a moment, was Syaoran even in the apartment? Had he somehow managed to leave? He quickly deemed that impossible since the door was locked and none of the windows had been opened.

That was when he heard the whimpering.

Heart beating wildly beneath his breast he raced out of the room, towards the only other place there was for the teen to be. Sprinting down the hallway he heard the whimpering turn to gasping.

Eyes widened as he turned to the right, and stood iced over in shock as he stared at the broken kid. "Syaoran…" he muttered, more to himself than to the kid.

Hands clinging to either arm, he was furiously scratching at his arms pushing up the sleeves of his grey sleeping t-shirt. Sweat caked his clothes and a puddle formed around him, mixing with the liquid drug that had escaped from the syringes. He was shaking violently and his brown tousled hair covered his eyes in shadow; but it did not hide the old tears that clung to his face and the new ones that were emerging from tightly clenched eyelids. The needles still poked out of his skin and rattled as Syaoran's feet slipped on the soaked floor. Small whimpers escaped from his tightly clenched teeth and the so called immovable Kurogane felt his heart crack. Slowly moving forward he knelt next to the quivering child. Wrapping on strong arm around his shaking shoulders he used his free hand to slowly take the needles out of the boy's injured flesh. At this sudden action the boy's shaking increased but his eyes didn't open and his hands didn't make a move to stop Kurogane. The red eyed man put a hand on the kid's cheek.

"Kid?" he said quietly. "Im going to pick you up okay kid?" The boy didn't reply, but Kurogane saw new tears begin to escape from their prison. Before Kurogane could ask his question again the boy had lunged forward and was clinging to his shirt, sobbing.

The tall man tensed up, but like usual he found himself slowly adjusting to the awkwardness and wrapped his sun kissed arms around the crying boy. They stayed this way for a long time, the kid mumbling words into Kurogane's shirt; apologies, excuses, pleas…it never seemed to stop. Finally he pulled back and held the kid by the shoulders.

"Kid?" he said once again.

He didn't respond.

"Syaoran." Now the boy looked up at him, a desperate, hopeless look reflecting in those tear filled eyes. Kurogane kept his frown on his face, but his hands stayed gentle. Standing up he urged Syaoran to move as well. Moving his hands away from his shoulders he grasped the teen's arm and moved him over to the kitchen. The boy followed silently, no longer crying or shaking, just walking. When they got to the sink Kurogane pointed to the counter across from it and the boy hesitantly sat on top. As the red eyed man wet a towel with one hand and used the other to dig around in the medicine cabinet for bandages. After choking the extra water out of the cloth he turned towards the counter Syaoran was sitting on, bringing his utensils with him. Silently he began cleaning the dried blood out of the boy's scratches, trying to keep his disappointment from showing on his face. They were doing so well this time; Syaoran even admitted to him a few days ago that he hadn't touched anything in a few weeks.

_What caused the poor kid to break?_ He mused to himself as he finished cleaning the wounds and began dressing them. He felt the boy twitch as the medicine stung, but the fact that he was feeling made Kurogane sigh with relief: the boy was coming out of it. Stealing a tentative glance towards the brown hair youth, he couldn't help but thinking of a kid who was getting punished for stealing from a cookie jar. More importantly though, he saw the kid had his eyes already half closed and he realized that he should get the kid to bed before he fell asleep sitting up. He was very careful when he picked the boy up, he was already worried that if he wasn't the boy may very well break into pieces. Carrying him he slowly walked to his bedroom, pushing the door open with a quiet kick before he placed the boy on the bed. Only then did Syaoran open his eyes and look up at him.

"Kurogane-san?" he said quietly as the covers were pulled up to his shoulders by a pair of strong arms. "Are you mad?"

Kurogane couldn't lie to the kid, so he just nodded.

"Are you disappointed?"

Again, another slow nod.

"Do you hate me?"

"Never." Was his immediate answer. That was the truth also.

What he did next the fighter did not expect, he smiled. His eyes were halfway shut and his body was already asleep so his words came out muddled, but Kurogane heard them.

"…Dad…Thanks for caring…"

The young man sighed as he saw the boy sleep. The first full ray of sunlight came bursting through the window and filled the room with a strange warmth. The sun was in his eyes, Kurogane would simply say to anyone who would question him later, that was what made his eyes sparkle with a wetness resembling tears. The light shone brightest on the boy's sleeping face, still wearing that small smile even in slumber, and Kurogane found himself grasping his hand gently. He too fell into a light sleep, leaning against the teen's bed frame, with a hand resting on his shoulder so he could still hold the boy's hand.

Yes. He would keep on walking; he would continue to move forward. He was going to get out of this miserable city one way or another.

And he was determined to take the kid with him.

**Hey! Thanks again to all who reviewed earlier and please remember that constructive criticism is welcome : )**

**Signed,**

**Destiny's Daughter.**


	4. Cannoli Creme

**Bonjourno! Sorry this took so long, to make up for it though it's 20+ pages on Microsoft Word. Anyways, thanks for all who came back for this! **

**Thanks to:**

**Japanesenut**

**Lilly love**

**Tomoyo**

**Knight in shining armour**

**Melissa Brite**

**InvertDouble**

**Flowing Breeze**

**Darkening Sights**

**PhreshxxxBear**

**AND **

**Silver-Serval **

**For Reviewing!! ^^**

Chapter Four: Cannoli Crème

Fai yawned, stretching his arms before falling backwards onto the sofa. He didn't plan on getting any actual sleep since his shift started in three hours, but he knew there was no harm in lying there as long as he didn't close his eyes for a second. Only how had he reached home, after hours of being away. This was the first time since yesterday morning he had laid down on his bed, so when he walked into the apartment he rented and immediately saw an empty blue sofa he couldn't resist. His body screamed at him and creaked as he walked but now that he was sitting he could feel his muscles slowly adjusting to the newfound softness.

Blue eyes traveled to the room across from the bathroom and adjacent to the living room, Sakura's bedroom. Still lying down he lifted his wrist up to his eyes to check the time.

_I'll have to get Sakura up soon. _He thought quietly to himself. _Her shift starts at 8 and I need to be out of house by 7 in order to be at the factory on time. _

Fai decided to let the girl sleep for an hour longer; he'd wake her up just before he left for work. However that was still an hour away and he sunk deeper into the plush furniture and stared at the ceiling. This apartment he rented from Yukko-san really wasn't half bad compared to most of the apartments available in the west side of Loshin. For one they had a pull out bed/couch (Fai's bed) AND a bedroom with a bed in it where most places just had a pallet on the floor. Also all the walls had been painted over with an indiscreet color so that the scratch marks that covered the walls were barely noticeable. However, they did have a leaky roof, a temperamental shower, windows that refused to open and a few holes I the wall the size of an adult's fist. These could be dealt with and or ignored though so there was no reason for Fai to complain. The first place he rented when he was 16 was located in south Loshin; now _THAT_ was a real pigsty. The real reason the blond was happy to get away was because of the things the landlord had him do so that he was able to actually get an apartment (since it was illegal unless you were over 18). Slowly he had saved up, and after two years of hell he was able to move into west Loshin and get an apartment form Yukko. This happened just at the right time actually, as Sakura arrived a few weeks later.

The tall black beauty owned an antique shop in one building and leased out the apartments in the building right next to it. She was a kind lady but could not afford to be overly generous. Her favorite line, "everything has its price!" was used frequently so he made sure to pay his rent somewhat on time and bring home gifts from the bar on a regular basis. Man that woman could hold her liquor well…

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_Hands clasped his hips roughly and pulled him closer to that horrifyingly strong body. Fai tried to shout out, as lips were pressed eagerly against his but he only succeeded in giving the man entrance to his mouth. Blue eyes wide he felt his limbs shaking in the man's firm grasp. Fighting desperately to get a grip over his fear he bit down on Ashura's lip, hard. He yelped in surprise and loosened his hold for only a moment, but a moment was all Fai needed to pull himself away and search for something to throw at his assaulter. In the darkness of his bedroom this was impossible; he should have just known better and run, but this sudden attack from his best friend robbed him of his senses. Currently he was wedged in between his and his twin's bed with only half a meter of space in between. The only way to get out of here was to scramble over the beds and towards the door. Before he had a chance to move very far he noticed that the tall, black haired 18 year old was moving closing in on him. It wasn't this though that made the teenager freeze and his heart to thump loudly; it was the gleaming kitchen knife grasped in the older boy's right hand. _

_At seeing the weapon Fai slowly tried to back up, but ever step he took back the other boy moved forward. By now Fai had run out of space to move in and his heart began to race within his breast. What was going on? Earlier today Ashura claimed he hated him when he confessed his sexuality, and now he was kissing him and threatening him with a knife?_

_His whole body heaved up and down as his former friend placed a hand on his cheek. He had a smile on his face, a cold, chilling smile as he raised the knife to the boy's throat. Pressing his body up against his Fai felt his back plunge into the wall and he heard something crack. Gasping loudly Ashura used that moment to tilt his head back and once again began kissing the terrified teen. "A-A-Ashura!" Fai tried to say, as he felt hands touch skin he didn't want touched. "Get, GET OFF!" At this Ashura stopped, he was no longer smiling. Those cold, black eyes were searching his face and Fai felt a glimmer of hope, was he going to let him go? _

_But no, instead his friend let out an angry howl and threw the boy on the bed. Fai landed awkwardly and realized when Ashura hit him he might have broken a rib. In seconds Ashura was on top of him, hitting and punching him violently._

"_Who were you going to scream for? There's no one who's going to help you." His voice was laced with hatred, but his eyes showed Fai nothing but lust. Pain jerked Fai in and out of unconsciousness and he tried to raise his hands over his head to protect it from Ashura's blows. Soon the angered man stopped and began tracing the swelling bruises he hand caused all over Fai's face and neck. No matter how hard he tried to stop the tears he felt them begin to sting his bruised cheeks and he felt his bottom lip quivering. Why couldn't he stop him, why weren't his arms obeying him and pushing him off?_

_Fai felt a rush of cold air as his shirt was torn off and that's when his mouth obeyed him and started screaming. "Help! Somebody HEL-!" His screams were cut short as Ashura rolled him over so he was lying on his stomach. Before Fai could start kicking he felt agonizing pain run through his upper body and colors swim before his eyes. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see the hilt of the kitchen knife sticking out of his right shoulder, pinning him to mattress. He drifted towards unconsciousness again and felt a warm body pressed flat against his, long digits fingering his short blond hair. "You're alone Fai." The voice whispered, echoing in the empty room. "You're alone and completely vulnerable. You're mine." _

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Blue eyes opened abruptly, the ice cold tears stinging his cheek and wakening him from his sleep. Sitting up Fai raised a pale, shaking hand to wipe away the chilling extracts from his cheeks. He hadn't meant to fall asleep, but even now the feverish heaviness of sleep were persuading him to close his eyelids and fall back into slumber. Fai probably would have done as his body wanted him to and fallen back asleep, if he wasn't so afraid. Hand still touching his cheeks he felt around his face, just to assure himself he was still in one piece. But no, underneath his trembling fingertips he felt smooth, pale skin and relaxed.

Swinging his legs onto the wooden floor he slowly stood, unsure if shaky legs could support him. The nightmares about his ex best friend still tormented him after all these years, but they ceased to terrify him. Of course he was still deathly afraid. He would be a fool if he wasn't afraid, but he told everyone that he wasn't bothered by these revelations. It became essential for him to put that part of his past behind him, so he was desperately finding a way to escape and control his fears. Forgetting became the only option he had, but recently this was becoming very difficult (probably because _that_ day was coming up soon).

Walking in the direction of his cream colored bathroom he poked his head into the room where the young girl lay snuggled in a cocoon of blankets. Seeing that she was still safely submerged in slumber, Fai continued in his journey to the bathroom and prepared himself for a shower. The blue eyed beauty didn't notice how badly his body was shaking.

Shutting the yellow shower curtain behind him he reached out a pale hand to turn on the water. A sigh escaped his lips as the warm water fell onto his body, soaking him in heat momentarily before forming a puddle at his feet and spiraling down the drain. His blond hair turned darker as it sucked in the moisture and Fai slowly felt his tremors cease. Trapped in the warm softness of the water his fears were forgotten and his muscles slowly relaxed. Smiling contently he reached out a hand to turn the dial on the shower water so it was as hot as it could go. It was always a wonder to him, how he seemed to prefer his water steaming while he couldn't stand it if the room wasn't cold at night. Granted he never usually had warm showers for fear of a pricey bill at the end of the month, so it was quite rare. Today was an exception so he let the steam form fog like clouds around him and cover the mirror in a thin mist.

His mind wandered as he began to wash his hair, then his body. Finally as he was about to rinse off the last suds from his skin he heard the low ring of his house phone singing in the distance. Hurriedly he turned off the water and stepped outside the now dripping shower. Pausing only to wrap a towel around his waist he opened the door and stuck a long arm outside. Thin fingers reached out blindly for the phone sitting on its holster. Pulling the phone back in the bathroom he let the door stay open an inch so it didn't crush the cord.

"Hello?" he answered cheerfully, although there was a slight edge to his voice since now that the door was open the steam was escaping and leaving Fai half naked and freezing.

"Fai-mewmew!"

"Yuui!"

"The one and only."

Fai laughed and his face broke into a smile, a real one, as he leaned against the counter top. "That's not necessarily accurate."

"Why do you have to be such a sour puss Fai-kitkat?"

"You know you love me. How's school been?"

"Alright so far, I decided not to move into the dorm this year. There were too many losers hanging around last year."

The blond rolled his eyes. "You think anyone who isn't absolutely obsessed with cats are losers."

His twin giggled at him and started rambling about something and Fai sort of had to tune his brother out. As much as he loved him, and even though he hadn't seen him in such a long time, he knew almost exactly what he was saying and tried to seem enthusiastic. He couldn't deny the fact that he was jealous of Yuui. This would be his second year going to The Celus Academy of the Arts for his magnificent violin skills. He was immensely proud of his brother and was happy that he was able to go to such a fine school; he'd be able to get almost any job he wanted just with a degree from that Academy! But it was exactly for that reason that he was jealous; there was no way he would ever be able to go to a college or a university now. He was already twenty and he left Celus before he could even get a high school diploma. When he was little, he always imagined he would get into some fine cooking school, become a great chef, and maybe open a little café one day…but now, all that was impossible.

It was not his brother's fault though so he never complained to Yuui, besides he didn't want him to feel bad.

"Faiiiiiiiiiiii, you still there?" Yuui's voice chirped loudly in his ear.

At this Fai's blue eyes flicked open and he rubbed them hazardously. Did he almost just fall asleep on him?

"Fai, hey Fai you okay?" Now his voice was concerned.

"Sorry," He responded sheepishly, "Im just really tired."

"Why? You work late last night?"

"Only till 9:00." He lied smoothly. This was the one thing he lied about to everyone; his sleep pattern. He probably hadn't slept more than 5 hours every other day. But since they were twins Yuui knew he was lying and tried to find out why, but Fai quickly changed the subject.

"So what is this? Purely a social visit?"

"So what? Now Im not allowed calling my twin if I just feel like talking? You can't see it but im sticking my tongue out at you." Fai giggled and smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, never did I ever doubt your intentions."

"You better not." A laugh was heard from the other end but was immediately shushed by a loud, gruff voice. There was a pause and he heard Yuui muffle a strangled apology. His blond eyebrows furrowed slightly and he heard the slamming of a door. There was another pause and from that specail bond that twins seemed to share Fai guessed exactly what was happening.

"Dad's still mad." He said quietly; it wasn't a question.

"Yah." He answered quietly. "He…started drinking again too."

At this his muscles became tense, and he straightened up, worried. "Are you okay? Did something happen?"

"No." Yuui responded slowly. "It's just…" Fai heard him sigh and knew what was wrong.

"He lost his job again? And mom's mad at him."

"Yeah." Once again there was a long pause and Fai felt a pang of sympathy for his twin. Their father had been a big drinker when they were younger kids, but he was beginning to change as they grew older. However, after the events four years ago and his eldest twin telling his family he was gay, their father ceased to admit that he even existed. He actually seemed to prefer that Fai had left, unlike his mother who was distraught. It seemed so long ago when his father stopped asking how Fai was, and stopped acknowledging that Yuui had a brother. Than the worst event yet happened, he started drinking again; and when he was drinking he was easily angered. He had never hurt his two children or his wife, but he had thrown things and it made his temper at work flare uncontrollably. This made it hard for him to keep up a job.

He blamed all this on Fai.

He knew this angered Yuui greatly, it got him mad too, but it was never said to his face as often as Yuui heard it. Any time he was not ignoring Fai's existence he was complaining to his other family members how this was entirely his fault.

His mother however was a different story. She still tried to keep in touch with him, and although not as much as his brother, came and visited once in a while, usually at Christmas. She always called him and cared for him, sending him bits and pieces of money whenever she felt she could spare a little cash.

Fai always felt guilty about this, taking his father's words seriously. He grew to believe everything was his fault, since it was his mistakes that caused his father to turn wrong again. This was an unspoken guilt though since Yuui slapped him the last time he spoke about it; saying that it was absolutely in no way whatsoever his fault for what was happening. But that didn't stop Fai from thinking…

"Fai…there was another reason for me calling you."

His smile had disappeared completely by now. He should have known.

"Sorata-san called, he said he's been calling your cell for a few days now, but you weren't answering." Sorata was his lawyer.

Fai rubbed the back of his head nervously, not wanting to tell his twin it was disconnected, but of course he already knew and heard his brother sigh. "Why didn't you tell me? I could have sent you another check."

He knew by now it was no use fighting with Yuui so quickly changed the topic. "Anyways, what did he want me for?"

"To talk to you about the trial of course." Fai shrugged. "That's not too important, that's still two months away."

"No it isn't."

Fai's breath froze in his throat and he felt his heart stop for a second, than quickly restart. "What do you mean?" he said quickly, unable to keep his worry out of his voice.

"They moved up the date…" he was talking quietly, realizing Fai's anxiousness. "Its two weeks from now."

The blond almost dropped the phone.

"Fai? Fai you still there?"

"Yah." He answered slowly and ran a hand through his hair. He was shaking again. "What's the date?"

"September 14th. You should probably call Sorata-san though; he did want to talk to you personally."

When his twin didn't respond again he got worried once more. "Fai-chan? Fai?"

Putting on a fake smile he laughed lightly. "You worry too much Yuui."

"Maybe I wouldn't worry if you took more care of yourself. You got a girl to watch over Fai-kiwi, and you can't take care of someone else if you can't take care of yourself."

"Not true! I so can!" He said this jokingly but he knew Yuui was anything but joking about this.

A long exhale was heard and Fai felt guilty. He didn't mean to argue and worry his little brother, but right now his only thoughts were going to be about Sakura. He didn't like having to pretend to be alright, he didn't like having to lie. However, this was one subject he did not want anyone to be worrying about.

Before Fai had a chance to apologize Yuui spoke again.

"Well I gotta be going, my noontime class starts soon."

_Noontime, it's too early for his noon class to begin. _Fai thought to himself.

"Noontime? Don't you mean morning?"

Yuui didn't respond for a second then replied: "Nooooo, noontime. You know? The class right after lunch?" Fai blinked once, than twice, than did something he almost never did.

"FUCK!"

"What? What's wrong?"

Fai didn't answer as he raced to throw on some jeans and dry off his dripping hair. He let the phone drop to the floor as he sprinted to Sakura's room.

"Sakura-chan! Sakura-chan you have to get up!" He shaked her much harder than he expected and the girl woke with a start.

"Fai-san? What are you doing?" she said inquiringly as the blue eyed 20 year old started shoveling out clothing onto her bed. Curious, she looked at the clock on her dresser.

"HOOOIEEE!!!!!!" She gasped, flying out of bed and scrambling to find her work apron. "How could we have slept so late it's almost noon!"

"It's my fault I slept in." While he was speaking he raced to the other side of the room to dig in his own trunk for his work uniform mentally cursing the whole way; how was his boss going to forgive him for being 4 hours late?

"Are you okay? You usually never sleep in." When his back was turned she slowly slipped out of her pj's and into day clothes. Fai didn't know how to answer, she was right. Even when he was sick he always was awake by a certain time unless he had pulled an all-nighter the day before.

"Ok," he said slightly calmer when he found what he was looking for. Turning around he dug his hands into his jean pockets and pulled out a ten. Luckily Sakura was a quick changer and was already wrapping her apron around her slim form. "Here's some money." He pushed the bill in her hands, "Buy some breakfast and head to work. You ok going by yourself? I can ask Yukko if she can get Watanuki to walk you over if your not." Sakura shook her head and looked at him worryingly.

"You alright Fai-san? Are you sick?" He shook his head than quickly kissed her on the forehead, smiling. The green eyed teen blushed.

"Don't worry about me Sakura-chan." He sent her a smile than throwing on his shirt he waved to her. "I have to run now, make sure you lock the door behind you! Oh and tellyourbossitwasmyfaultforyourbeinglatemakesuresheknowsthatok?.BYE!"

In an instant the blond man pranced out of the room with a worried 'HIAAAAA!!!!' escaping his lips. Sakura, even in her panicked state couldn't smother her giggles with her tiny hand. She hadn't understood a word her guardian had said.

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"_You'll need this and this and this! OH and this too!" Fai exclaimed prancing down the aisles of school supplies in WalMart. _

"_Fai-san I don't think ill need that!" she said giggling as he held up a pencil as long at his arm. He tilted his head to the side; blue eyes wide with curiosity as he dropped the ginormus pencil. "OH MY GOD!" He said loudly prancing off towards the other end of the store, probably towards something so irresistibly shiny he thought she __**MUST**__ have it, Sakura staring stupefied after him. _

_It had been half a year since Fai had decided Sakura could stay with him. That first night the teen had made sure to tell the girl that this could not be permanent; he tried to make her understand that it wouldn't be right for her to stay with him. She nodded and said she understood, they had only just met after all. Deep inside something stirred within her though, was she really that unwanted? It wasn't anger she felt, more like bitter resentment. First her mom didn't want her and now this man didn't want her. She came to accept the fact that there was no way for her to stay with this nice, caring man, and decided the best way was not to get close. _

_What she didn't know at that time was that Fai __**wanted**__ her to stay. _

_However, the next morning came and they set out to find if Sakura had any living relatives other than her mother. Fai called hospitals and searched for people in surrounding cities who had the same last name as Sakura. Unfortunately for them though, Kinomoto was a very common last name in Clow where she originally came from. They gave up searching for family after a few weeks and Fai finally decided that he would have to call child services. Sakura wouldn't know till later, but he was actually attaching very quickly to the young child. He wasn't used to having company over, and Sakura was a charm to spend time with. …He was going to miss her. He always insisted that she couldn't stay, but he knew that if Sakura asked to stay here permanently he would welcome her with open arms. _

_However, she hadn't asked, so Fai assumed tat she had no intention of wanting to stay. _

_A week after his sudden realization, the van from child services came to collect Sakura. They waited together in the apartment for the men to come upstairs. But the second they knocked on the door Sakura knew something was wrong. The whole air around these people seemed uneasy. These people, she knew instantly, she could not trust; Fai-san she could. Also in the short weeks they had been together the bond they formed together seemed to be coming out of the shadows, and Sakura began to realize that Fai might actually want her to stay. So in the second that Fai hesitated when saying their final goodbyes she raced into his arms and clung to him, and in that hug she proclaimed everything she felt. His solemn, sad face broke out into a smile. A real one._

_Immediately Fai whispered to the young girl, politely told child services they were no longer needed, and shut the door in their face. _

_And so they were stuck together. Which lead to this day, school shopping for the seventh grade for Sakura. Carrying their purchase in their arms they talked and laughed giddily_. _It was a bright afternoon and the sun wasn't due to go down for a few more hours. Fai decided he wanted to take Sakura to the park on the west end of Loshin, since the one on the east was very popular for drug dealings._ The_y were about halfway there when he felt Sakura tug on his sleeve. _

"_Fai-san is she doing something wrong?" The blond moved his blue eyes, carefully following the girl's pointed finger. She was pointing at a woman who was lying down on the sidewalk, covering her was some sort of sac that was so moth bitten that it wasn't even worth keeping. However, it was the only thing other than a thin nightgown that the elderly woman had on her. It wasn't the older lady who she was pointing at though; it was the police officers standing over her._

"_Im sorry ma'am but you have to leave. This is loitering." The first officer said, pointing a long finger at the sign behind him. At this the woman started swearing and Sakura had bounded forward before Fai could stop her._

"_Excuse me, sirs!" She called out to the policemen. They turned to look at her and she stopped when she was beside the woman. "There is no need for you to-" _

"_Listen here kid, we don't got time for this." He turned away and started talking to the woman while the other watched Sakura and Fai who had just appeared beside her protectively. "Lady you get out of here right now and go home! There is no reason for you to be staying here."_

"_You gutterbusted cops what makes you think im going to listen to knickers-for-brains like you? You unworthy, you testosterone filled macho idiotic MANIACS!" by now she was screaming her head off and the Cop got ready to take out the handcuffs. _

"_If you don't stop we shall have to arrest you for disturbing the piece." _

_Now her swearing got more colorful, such vibrant vocabulary. _

"_Charles, we got a 10-15." _

_The cop glared angrily back at the woman and the two passerbyers before putting his handcuffs back on his belt. "You all better be gone in one minute."_

"_WHO'S GOING TO MAKE ME!" _

"_ME! I'VE GOT A BADGE!" he lowered his voice dangerously, "What have you got?"_

_Before the woman had a chance to spit in his face, he turned around and stomped off to his car, sirens blaring loudly. Now that they were closer Fai realized that the woman wasn't as nearly as old as he thought she was, although there were deep wrinkles and lines of worry that scarred her face. _

_Sakura turned to look at the woman and immediately was turned upon._

"_What are you staring at you blubbering idiots?" She spat out angrily. "This isn't some sort of zoo, and I ain't no attraction!" _

"_Sorry ma'am ," Fai apologized quickly, grasping Sakura's wrist and trying to lead her away gently. But the damage was done and the woman was on her feet, howling furiously. _

"_Ma'am? MA'AM? Who do you think you are addressing me as such? What do you think I am some cheap little whore you can fool around with! You don't start talking to me like you know me or like I owe you anything for trying to help because im not giving you NOTHING!"_

_This woman was definitely crazy._

"_Im sorry miss we didn't mean any offense." Sakura tried to protest but the old lady continued raving. _

"_NOW YOU LISTEN HERE YOU CANIVING SLUT! I don't need your sympathy and I don't need you to tell me how to live my life! You're just like those cops! Thinking that just because you all have homes and I don't that I don't have a mind, that I don't know what I can and can't do! YOU DON'T ORDER ME AROUND AND I DON'T NEED SLUTS LIKE YOU TELLING ME WHAT I NEED TO DO TO SURVIVE!" Suddenly she raised a hand to backhand the girl's face._

_Fai quickly intervened and pushed the women's hand aside. "That's enough!" he said shortly, trying earnestly to contain his anger for trying to hurt __**HIS**__ baby girl. He heard a gasp from the girl behind him when the woman spat in his face. Controlling his emotions he wiped the slobber off his face and decided he needed to get Sakura out of here. _

_Holding her shoulder firmly he turned her around and led her away from the crazed woman. He still heard her when they were halfway down the block. Sighing quietly to himself he felt the girl shiver underneath his touch. Quickly he pulled off the sidewalk and stopped underneath an overhang._

"_Hey," he said softly, putting a hand gingerly on her head. "Don't be bothered by her Sakura-chan. I wasn't going to let her hit you."_

_The teen shook her head, fists clenched tightly up by her face. "No its not that. I don't care about that." She opened her emerald eyes, tears threatening to fall. "Why, why were they being so rude to her? She wasn't doing anything wrong and they treated her like…like…" _

_Fai stared at her sadly. He knew this was his fault. He discovered that Sakura wasn't originally from Loshin and immediately sheltered her. Fai made sure they stayed as far away from that sort of thing as was humanly possible: making sure she stayed on the right sides of town, letting her go to friends houses but never on public outings with them in the wrong sort of places. But because of such acts Sakura never figured out the most important and unfortunate truths about life; that it wasn't fair. _

_He moved his hand from her head and pulled her into a quick little hug. As much as he wanted to protect her from this place, he was beginning to realize he was just delaying her suffering. _

"_Im sorry Sakura-chan." He whispered into her hair before pulling away. She wasn't crying anymore but she still looked sad. Picking up their bags they began their journey home, hands clasped together desperately. _

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Sakura moved silently down the sidewalk, he work apron wrapped around her stomach, a delivery in hand and the sun beating down on her face, making her smile. She had heard many times that her smile brought warmth wherever she went, and that suited her well. The warmth of the sun was always something she enjoyed, even as a small child.

She remembered one day, when she was very small, she was at the beach with her mother. Back at their old home in Clow they used to take time out of their day to visit the ocean surrounding the island. Although she was only an adolescent at the time, this was one of the few moments she could remember. She found it so fascinating, so magical, how the sun and the waves, to polar opposites, seemed to move so well together. They created a whispered, unspoken harmony to all who were willing to listen. And Sakura, being as young as she was, was willing to listen all day. The world had a steady rhythm to it, Sakura learned, the waves pulsed in, and in response the pulsing rays of summer heat would flow on a steady breeze and sing to it, urging the waves to dance along.

The sight was breathtaking, but it was the smell, that salty scent of freedom that captured Sakura's little heart. Everything around her was magic as she pranced through the waves collapsing on the rocks, and one of her fondest memories was of spending the entire day at the beach with her mom. They had spent the entire afternoon eating ice cream, splashing each other, building sandcastles, and when the water got too cold they huddled together under their towels, watching the sun as it fell towards the horizon, laughing about some unspoken joke as they watched the world dance around them.

It hurt to remember her mother. There used to be so much love between them, Sakura always felt at peace with her mom and they were living a happy life even though there was only one income. Then Sakura went in for her routine check up when she was ten and the doctor noticed something was wrong. With a strange heartbeat they thought she had a condition much like Arrhythmias: a sort of electrical "short circuit" that goes through the heart causing irregular, slow, or fast heartbeats. However when they put her through a series of tests they noticed something else was wrong. Although her heartbeat was irregular it seemed there was some sort of spot on her heart. Fearing a tumor or some form of cancer they put her through another series of tests and the results turned out to be horrifying. At the time they called it the Rondart Infection (which at the time was improrper because it was in face a condition and not a infection).

It was discovered by Dr. Kyle Rondart in the mid 2000s. The exact date wasn't know since at that time there was a world war going on at the time, but when Dr. Rondart showed his colleagues that there were probably thousands of people out there getting misdiagnosed as Arrhythmias and weren't being treated properly. What he had found out was devastating and lead to a chilling end; he had found proof that some genetic heart conditions could (if not be treated immediately and in certain circumstances) form a hole and slowly collapse in on itself.

When Sakura found out about this she was immediately kept indoors by her mother. Once she asked her mom if there was a treatment and the tall brunette answered her in a chilling voice. The emerald eyed child soon found out that her mother was seriously in dept and somehow never got health insurance; in order to pay for Sakura's treatment she would need a _LOT_ of money, and they didn't have it.

This lead to Sakura being abandoned in Loshin. She'd never understand what exactly lead her mom to doing this act, for she was never to see her mother again, but she tried not to hate her mother for doing this. It was practically for the better, she was very happy with Fai-san! But she never forgave herself for getting Fai to let her stay without telling him about her deathly heart condition…

So to make it up to her gracious guardian she tried to help out as much as she could. This job at the bakery was a lifesaver for her. With it (although she was making minimum wage) she was able to afford her own clothes and the pressure wasn't on Fai as much. It wasn't much, but it was about the only thing she could do. She tried to convince the blond to let her pay a few bills but he immediately said no, telling her he wanted her to save up for college instead.

She didn't mind working; she actually really enjoyed the work she did at the bakery. It was always warm inside, even on the coldest of winter days, and the scents of sugar and baking bread always surrounded her. She worked with amazing people, she cooked delicious food, and she usually didn't meet up with any bad people unless she took a delivery into the wrong side of the city. Her co-workers got along with her well and most of her friends came to visit her in the summer while she was at work.

With such a warm personality, many wondered what she was doing in this sort of place. Her first impression of this city was that it was like every other one she had seen. Like Clow, it was quite large, took up most of the island after all. She remembered driving in the car, gawking at the tall buildings, reaching heights she never even imagined possible. Right now she was wandering in the west side of Loshin; where it was mostly beaten up residential apartments covered in graffiti and street junk. A few small shops were located in between some of these places, tiny boutiques and cute little cafes. There were also a few 'abandoned' warehouses along the street that were used from a few of Loshin city's night life activities. The east side of the city was where the worst sort of ordeals happened. No one in their right mind would go there unless they absolutely had to, especially since the Tomya gang was currently taking up its headquarters somewhere in the south side. It was unknown where the Bronyin gang was residing. South Loshin (commonly called the slave's quarters) was where most people worked, either in factories or in the construction business- they didn't actually build on the east side but that's where the headquarters were. The North side of Loshin City was the place everyone hated; where the rich lived.

The North was a side that was completely unknown to most people living in other parts of the city, even though it took up a better half of the city. It was as if in the blink of an eye, the whole world seemed changed. On every other side of the city the streets were torn up almost beyond repair, the buildings nearly falling apart and covered in colorful graffiti, and it was almost impossible to walk on the sidewalk and not kick or trip over some sort of filth, trash (or occasionally), a sleeping person. However, as soon as you walked past the gate that separated the two places you would instantly notice the difference. The mud filled, broken up streets were quickly replaced by slate black, smooth roads bordered by pasty white sidewalks, clean of any debris or rubbish. The buildings were newly built and kept in exceptional order, sparkly AND formidable. The gate that surrounded the huge area was tall, a fence meant not to keep in, but to keep out. When the first large mansions and huge offices were built the actions taken were almost immediate. The place was patrolled often, searching for trouble makers begging, searching for shelter, and thieves trying to get their hands on the rich resident's valuables. That was why the gate had been built in the first place; the rich never left their place except for work. Their children were never allowed to leave; they even had their own school in there so they wouldn't have to mingle with the other people of the city. It was dishonorable and deplorable, Sakura thought, that just because one was richer than the other means they were too good to go the same school as the less fortunate people. She didn't even know why they were there in the first place!

But for some reason, wealthy entrepreneurs and rich families found it enjoyable to stay enclosed in their fortresses, investing in elaborate parties and expensive clothing, when outside their doorstep the world was decaying around them.

Currently Sakura was making a delivery to a house on the North side, a half hours walk if she power walked and avoided all busy streets. Stuck in her thoughts and her need for speed she was hardly paying attention to where she was walking, and hitzuen made her walk into a person that would change her world forever.

Suddenly she bumped into something, rather hard actually. A loud crunch was heard and she was sure that the box she had been holding in her hands was completely crashed. She stumbled back and felt herself trip; and was surprised when she felt a warm hand grasp her wrist.

"You okay?" A worried voice questioned her.

Blinking her large emerald eyes to clear the fuzz that formed when her head collided with another skull she let the boy (for indeed that's who it was) help her up. Standing up straight the boy took the box from her gently, trying not to get the broken contents all over her.

"Yes." She replied slowly touching her hair gingerly before taking a good look at the person who stopped her from dropping to the pavement. She felt her heart thump when she saw those eyes, those eyes the color of sweet warm coffee smiling at her. His slightly tanned face was framed by a mesh of messy yet highly attractive brown hair.

She would not notice the deep, unhealthy black circles under his eyes until later, and the bandages that covered both of his arms were hidden underneath a green zip up sweater so only the ends showed. He was a little taller than her, and those faded, ripped up jeans made him look even taller.

_He's obviously a teenager, _she thought to herself as she gave him a small smile, thanking him. _But…why does he seem a little different. _

"Sorry!" he apologized looking at her remorsefully.

_Maybe that was it._

"No don't worry about it!" she said, ever so flustered as she looked at the broken box.

"It was my fault." He insisted brown eyes warm, "I should pay you for the spoiled food."

"No, no, no." Sakura gave him a smile, liking what she saw in that boy's face. She knew at that instant that she had ran into a good person, not because he offered to pay her for something that was her fault, but because of the warmth kindness that shone in his eyes. Usually when a guy looked at her, they would be undressing her with their eyes, but this boy, no, this man, was too much of a gentleman to do that.

"What is your name?" she inclined politely.

"Syaoran Suwa, yours?"

Her smile widened and she saw the boy blush. "Sakura Kinomoto. Here!" she said worryingly as she saw the crème from the cannolis spill out of the box and smear all over his shirt.

"Won't it ruin your clothes?"

"Its okay I got an apron."

"No, I think I should hold this for you, the bees will be coming out soon." Sakura was about to argue again but realized the boy was acting a little suspicious. She tried to suppress her doubts but than smiled.

"Alright, at least let me take you back to the store so I can wash up your shirt."

He didn't seem too eager to stay with the white cream all over the front of his green sweater so he agreed smiling. "It's just around the corner," she said waving him over as they began walking together on the sidewalk.

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"Sakura-chan what are you doing back? I thought you were out delivering?" A teenaged girl said from behind the bakery's clean counter. Sakura always liked this place. The walls were covered by crème colored wallpaper and the tables and benches were clean and well kept. But more importantly, the smells coming from the kitchen were mouthwatering.

"Sorry Yuzuriha-chan, I'm going to need six more cannolis." Sakura responded before disappearing behind the counter to get a cloth to clean the stranger with.

"Why did something-?" all the sudden the short, black haired girl stopped, for the first time noticing the brown haired boy sheepishly holding the ruined cannoli box.

"Oh." She said simply, a pink tint covering her cheeks as she smiled.

"Hi," Syaoran said holding out the white package, rubbing the back of his head nervously, "sorry about the desert things…"

At that moment Sakura came running out from the back of the bakery, moist cloth in hand.

"Oh, sorry Yuzu-chan, this is Syaoran, Syaoran, meet Yuzuriha Nekoi." She said breathlessly, than inclined her hands politely with a smile. "Now will you let me take it? There's not going to be bees in here."

Syaoran handed her the box and his blush returned when he felt his hands touch her small, warm fingers.

Suddenly a hand whipped out, catching the tie on the back of Sakura's apron and pulled her behind the counter. "'scuse us!" Yuzuriha said cheerfully as she dragged her protesting friend behind the bread racks. Once they were mostly out of view (but hardly out of earshot) she squealed and clapped her hands together.

"Sakura-chan where'd you find him and how can I get one?"

The brunette let out a surprised 'hoiee' and her friend clamped a hand over her mouth.

"What you looking at me for? I didn't run into him on purpose." She protested, pushing the hand off of her face.

"Aww come on Sakura its not everyday a ridiculously sexy looking guy comes in!"

"What makes you think he's ridiculously sexy looking?"

Her friend looked at her dumbfounded than smiled excitingly. "Does that mean I can have him?"

"No!" Sakura said eyes wide and cheeks cherry as her friend shushed her, pointing at the boy through the warm loaves. The tall teen was unzipping his sweater and closely looking at a bright painting hanging on the wall. Poking their heads out from behind the shelves the brunette gasped when her friend pushed her fully into view. Hearing her gasp, Syaoran whipped around from where he was looking and smiled when he saw the petite girl walking towards him.

"H-h-here Syaoran-kun," Sakura said shuffling forward and looked at the mess that now covered his entire front. "It'll probably be easier if we wash the sweater in the sink."

At this Syaoran's eyes went wide and he shook his head. Sakura tilted her head to the side, emerald eyes sparkling with cat like curiosity. "Is something wrong?"

"N-No. It's just, umm…" he was fumbling with finding an appropriate excuse but Sakura decided that she shouldn't make the boy feel uncomfortable.

"Its okay, we'll just wipe it off."

"Sakura-chan, can you do that outside?"

"Outside?"

"Yah, I need to close up shop for an hour so I can deliver those Cannolis."

"Why do you need to close up? Can't you get Arashi-sama to do it?"

"Arashi-sama went on brake a few minutes ago and isn't going to be back for a while. Should give me time to deliver these and run back."

Sakura nodded, trying to suppress her guilt. Hopefully they wouldn't loose any money by closing the shop for an hour.

"Come on, there's a park a few blocks away."

Unfortunately, Sakura didn't happen to remember that this particular spot was where some of the worst drug deals went on, and possibly the most deadly place for Syaoran to be right now.

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The park wasn't too busy today, no children playing on the playground and no couples sitting on the benches. The graffiti covered coniferous trees that were sparsely separated throughout the small field were already changing from bright green to a beautiful deep red and a light yellow. The cracked pathway was littered with trash and there were a few people walking along it, occasionally leaning on trees or meeting up quickly with others. These were all shifty people, and they never stayed in one place for long. Syaoran was surprised when Sakura led him in here, but she obviously didn't know just how dangerous this place was. The brown haired teen suddenly felt very protective and stayed as close to her as he could without making it bluntly noticeable. However when he looked towards the drug dealers leaning against a nearby fence he felt his arms pulse feverously. He knew he couldn't stay here for long, if he did, he might faint. Syaoran felt his head throb painfully and he tried his best to avoid eye contact with the other people in the park and was relieved when Sakura pulled him over towards a blue and slightly filthy bench.

She sat on the park bench with the teen shyly, barely lifting her head for fear of him seeing the blush on her pale cheeks. One hand grasping his sweater the other was tenderly wiping away the remains of the now stale paste. The reason she was avoiding eye contact was because of their closeness. She was wrong before, he wasn't just a good looking boy.

He was an incredibly, amazingly handsome teenager.

She probably wouldn't have been able to talk with him if he hadn't started the conversation first.

"So, you work at the Cobs for a summer job?" Cobs was the name of the bakery she worked at. It was just a little family owned store that was opened earlier that summer. She wouldn't be surprised if it was gone by next summer; between the lease money and taxes, it was very hard to keep a small business in the city for a long time.

"Yes," she said nodding. "My guardian is making me quit before school though.

He snorted. "You too?"

"Where'd you work?"

"A printing company, it was a fairly boring and quite unproductive business, but hey I make minimum wage." Sakura laughed slightly but she noticed that the boy seemed to be a little uneasy. Was it because she intruded on a touchy subject or was he just naturally twitchy, she wondered.

"Your parents made you quit for school? What grade you going into?"

"Not my parents." He said, trying to stop his tone from seeming harsh. "My guardian. He's…" he paused for a second, debating on whether to tell her or not. "He needs some help with paying bills, so I got the job to help pay for things." The young girl nodded with understanding.

"Fai-san also has trouble with that sort of things." When he looked at her oddly she corrected herself. "My guardian, although he tries to make it seem as if things are always okay, I can tell when there is something's wrong." She paused in her cleaning and looked up at him shyly. "You know what I mean?"

The brown haired teen gave a sad little smile. "Yah. I do. Kurogane-san, my guardian, is the same way. That's why…im sort of mad at him…for trying to make me quit and go back to school."

He paused and pulled himself away awkwardly. She looked worriedly at him, and saw that he was gazing strangely at the other people who were in the park. "Syaoran-kun are you okay?"

"Im sorry, if im blabbering a little bit. It's just…" he paused than smiled a small, warm smile that made Sakura's heart turn into a puddle. "I feel…as if I've known you for a while."

Sakura let her smile widen. She hadn't wanted to think that, worried she would be creeping him out, but yes, she had felt it too! That weird feeling that she could instantly trust this boy, in everything and anything that he said and did. She didn't know what was making her feel this way; she knew that she had never met this boy before in her life. But than why did she feel as if he was someone very specail to her?

They both laughed awkwardly, but that feeling was still there. _What in the world is going on? _She thought to herself.

"There." she said removing the cloth. "Sorry that took so long, the crème hardened over time." He shook his head with a smile. "Thanks for helping me. And im sorry for making you leave work, your boss wont get mad will she?"

"Arashi-sama? Never!" She bit her lip reluctantly though. "I should still head back though, I don't want the store to stay closed for too long."

She didn't move.

Neither did he.

"Maybe, I'll see you around then?" He said hopefully. "What school are you going to?"

"Im going into the ninth grade, first year at Hail High!" He smiled in response.

"Hey im taking a few classes in that year too!"

"Same school?" she said gasping and he laughed at her delight.

"Same school."

"Then.." once again that curious look was back and Syaoran felt himself blush. "Why are you only taking a few classes?"

His smile faded but he looked more shamefaced than anything. "I sort of…I left school for a while so I have to make up a few of my earlier classes. Im actually supposed to be in the eleventh grade."

Sakura gave him a reassuring smile. "Maybe we'll have a few classes together then!"

"Hopefully." He said this a little too eagerly and Sakura saw him turn away.

At that exact moment Syaoran's brown orbs met that of a man wearing a long trench coat and gazing at him expectantly. The stranger gave a nod, noticing the boy's shivers, knowing that the boy wanted what he had.

_No, _he shouted in his head. _Not again, I let down Kurogane last night and im not going to let it happen again!_

Suddenly Sakura noticed he wasn't paying any attention anymore.

Than she saw him shaking slightly. Looking at him with concerned, round, emerald eyes she saw him notice his shaking hands too. Suddenly, without warning his entire face drained of color and he doubled over clutching his stomach.

"Syaoran!" she gasped as the boy suddenly covered his mouth to stop himself from puking. She put a hand on his shoulder, eyes large and worried. "What's wrong?" He turned his head away from her so that she wouldn't see him puke.

He slowly sat up again, his face still paper pale and covered with beads of sweat. He tried to force a smile on his face, but didn't have time too. "Syaoran?" she cried as the boy abruptly swayed and slumped against her shoulder. He didn't answer. Grabbing hold of his shoulders she turned his head up towards hers and looked at him. Those eyes, those handsome chocolate like eyes, were closed and looked as if they had no intention of opening again. She quickly put her hand to his forehead and was surprised to see just how quickly the teen's head was burning up. It was obvious he was quite feverish by the way he had just fell against her; he was too much of a gentleman to even touch her like some of the other men she had been on outings with.

Sakura gingerly tried to pick up the faint boy but found it quite hard. He was taller than her after all and although he was pretty thin he wasn't a small boy. Throwing one of his arms over her shoulder she wrapped her right arm around his waist and tried to heave him up. This she did with great difficulty but she did it none the less. Staring anxiously at the sweating boy she started on her long journey home. She contemplated only for a moment to bring him to a hospital (she didn't know what made him faint after all), but found that objective futile: they wouldn't even look at the boy once they found out that there was no adult there to insure that they could pay for his treatment; so she brought him to the next best thing. For her, Fai-san had always been Mr. Fix it. If she ever had a problem she knew where to get help or emotional support to deal with it and that was Fai.

Perhaps he could help this boy too.

**I compliment anyone who wasn't bored by this extremely long chapter. Tell me what you think please! Sorry for that being pretty long. **

**Signed,**

**Destiny's Daughter**


	5. The Still Life

**Hey people, how are you all? This was a fairly good update (time wise), compared to some of my other stories which have taken me months to update (Literally, I think the longest was a 6 month wait) so don't be disappointed if it takes me more than a week. I takes a while to edit so I'm sorry if it takes me a little while to update. Also there is other such things like school. **

**Thanks to:**

**Darkening Sights**

**Tomoyo**

**Plummy-kins**

**Lilly love**

**Tomi Lang**

**Souhi's Wrath**

**Aika08**

**Flowing Breeze**

**AppleGirlin**

**Dao Lian**

**PhreshxxxBear**

**Japanesenut**

**Silver-Serval**

**UnexpectedInspiration**

**(unknown: _called "Hi" XD_)**

**Melissa Brite  
**

**AND**

**InvertDouble**

**For reviewing! ^^ You guys are pure awesomnessess and I appreciate everything you guys do for me. Honestly, you don't know how helpful your support is. :)**

Chapter Five: The Still Life

As Syaoran awaked the first thing he noticed was the smell. He remembered feeling dizzy, and then the distinct smell of freshly baked banana bread before he blacked out completely. Everything else seemed blurry, like an old TV where you can see motions on the fuzzy screen, but not being able to know what's happening, who's there, and why its happening.

Pain. There was pain all around him. The moving of limbs, the gnashing of teeth; that smell, the heavy sweet smell of baked goods got stronger. Then softness…everywhere. His body felt warm, but he couldn't move it, he couldn't open his eyes, couldn't speak, couldn't hear. But he felt strangely content. Not safe, but content. He wouldn't have thought that if he was in his right mind, but that fever of his was worse than he thought possible. He felt nauseous and sweaty, he felt happy and felt ready to run a marathon, he was scared, and he was safe. He felt something drop all over his skin, at first he thought it was water, but the bitter coldness was like acid dropping on his skin. Thats when he knew he was dreaming. Syaoran imagined being dragged, being dropped, being laid down on something; he envisioned shouting, yelling, someone grabbing his arms and holding him on the bed. The worst part was when he felt someone talking to him, it was a voice he did not know, and never cared to find out who it was. It was a calm voice, a soothing voice, but Syaoran was scared stiff. The last thing he remembered before he woke up (actually it was before he fell asleep, but don't forget, he was convinced this was a dream) was a pair of bright, calming blue eyes looking down on him.

_But that couldn't possibly be real,_ he thought to himself when that happened, blue eyes are a rarity in Loshin; the most common features usually being dark eyes and dark hair.

Now, as he drifted in and out of unconsciousness, trying to ignore the drumming in his head, he smelled something different. At first it was hard to figure out what it was, now that his sight was returned his other senses seemed to be dwindling. His mind clouded with sickness he tried to move but found it exhausting. He was lying on something and when he tilted his head he noticed that he wasn't on the bench anymore, or even in the park. Softness surrounded him, and a warm heaviness above him.

He was in someone's bed!

Syaoran turned his head to the side weakly and saw that the bedroom was clean and covered with posters of bands and pictures of kittens. Wherever he was he was not at home; he had a feeling Kurogane would rather stick his hands in boiling water before he'd put a picture of a kitten on the wall.

But how did he get here anyways? Had someone found him earlier and tried to help him? No; most likely they had placed him in a bed for one reason. Suddenly he heard a creak as the door cracked open and he struggled to try and sit up, but his arms were shaking and his body was slippery from sweat. He heard a gasp as his arms gave out from under him and he fell backwards against the mattress. A light flickered on, illuminating a tall man with pale blond hair and sparkling eyes.

"Good evening!" The person said with a glowing smile. "Cant believe you're awake already, the fever must be breaking. No don't move!" The man, for that's what he appeared to be, rushed forward to stop him from sitting up again. The stranger recognized Syaoran's fear as the teen gazed at him worryingly. He smiled sympathetically in return.

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan brought you here. Im her guardian, Fai." Syaoran blinked; Sakura-chan? Sakura! The girl he was with! Suddenly he felt worried and guilty; not only had he burdened her and her family with his sick state, he also left her alone and unprotected in a park full of drug addicts.

"Sakura," he stuttered weakly, panting slightly with the effort. "Is she alright? How did she…?" his voice trailed off when he suddenly felt sleepy again.

"She's okay. Im guessing she carried you here. I didn't get home until she already had you on her bed."

Once again he looked at the walls. So he was in Sakura's room? That explains the cats. Unless this man was more feminine than his appearance suggested (if that was even possible).

But why did she invite a stranger into her home? Did she not see the dangers she would be in if someone bad had followed them?

"Are you hungry?" Fai inquired and Syaoran nodded slowly.

"Here, I'll go get something ready for you. Sakura was worried about you. Are you up for company while you wait?"

Once again he nodded, this time more enthusiastically. He wanted to see her.

Fai smiled and exited the room in a dance like way, waving his arms cheerfully.

"Sakura-chan!!!!!!!! Syaoran-kun is awake!" There was a rustle of something resembling cloth and that the girl was running into the room.

"Syaoran-kun! Are you okay?" she said dashing to his side and Syaoran moved to receive her welcome.

When she saw him rush to sit up she scolded him lightly. "Don't move, you just woke up you must be exhausted!" He fell back without complaint. Blinking he blushed awkwardly as the girl paraded him with questions. There was no possible way he could answer all of them at once and stuttered when he tried to speak. Luckily Fai came to his rescue.

"Now Sakura-chan. This boy is sick and you have to careful with him." He said this in a reproaching manner but that smile was still present. Sakura gasped cutely and nodded furiously, muttering an apology to Syaoran. "Im going to go get him something to eat, call if you guys need me."

"Alright!" she said as her guardian walked out of the room. She turned around and looked at him worryingly. "Are you feeling any better?" He nodded in response and tried to speak.

"Yes, thanks. Im sorry. I didn't mean to intrude-"

"Don't apologize! I was so worried! I thought maybe you were hurt seriously or something, I didn't know if you were perhaps allergic to something or if you had fainted because you were-!"

"Sakura!" he said quietly laughing. "Sakura calm down, im alright see?" But when he tried to demonstrate by sitting up she immediately put him back on the bed.

"What did I say about not moving? You're going to waste your energy and I don't want you to get even sicker!"

He muttered a small thanks to her. "I really....you helping me....Sakura-chan I-"

"Please just Sakura."

"Sakura," he corrected himself. "Im really thankful. You didn't have to take care of me. It means a lot to me that you were there to help."

"Im so happy." She muttered softly and he looked at her questionably. Her cheeks began to change color and she rushed to correct herself. "Not that you're sick of course! That I was able to help! At least you're getting better. Even if it is slowly…" Sakura's voice faltered and her stomach clenched nervously, she felt so stupid. Why did she say it like that?!

His gaze didn't waver from hers. Later on he would blame this on the fever, but the fact was that, even through his disordered vision, he wanted nothing more then to see her. His heart rate was increasing by the second. Why did she have to smell so nice? The smell of fresh cinnamon buns clung to her, a smell so fitting, since she always acted so sweet.

She slowly brushed her fingers over his. Syaoran found her touch surprisingly soft and warm, which unlike the heat caused by the fever, seemed to calm him.

The tense heat of his cold seemed to dull, and be taken over by this fuzzy feeling: the kind you get on a day when the breeze carries the sun and tickles it, sending waves of warmth carressing heat against your skin. For the first time he took in the sight of the girl in front of him. She looked like a teenager should, despite her height and small frame. A bouncy head topped with brown hair like lukewarm sand was paired excellently with her those wide green eyes. They were the most colorful eyes Syaoran had ever seen. Not only were they green, they seemed to be different shades, shades he didn't even know were possible were dancing around in those soft, kind spheres. Her face was heart shaped and clear of blemish. Her nose was small, cute and button like, her lips full and adorable; but it wasn't her appearance that got his heart racing. The moment their bodies connected, even slightly, he felt like everything was so amazing, so perfect, so…..he couldn't even describe the feeling accurately.

_**BIIIIIIIIIIIIZZZ!**_

Hearing the buzzer she made a little meep sound with surprise. The moment, the flashing lights and the sparkles, had disappeared in the instant that their hands disconnected.

"Here, that must mean the food's ready." He could see her stand and stiffened; he didn't want her to leave. Was that a blush on her cheek? "I'll go get it and you can eat in peace."

Syaoran had to hurry or else she'd leave. He spoke up quietly, eyes averting hers as a faint ripple of blush swept across his nose.

"Could you…could you stay a little longer?"

She was obviously surprised, her doe eyed stare made Syaoran feel like he had overstepped the boundary and tried to apologize. Instead of running she instead smiled softly and sat back down on her bed next to the lying boy. Without a word she timidly reached towards him and swiped a damp cloth (_where did that come from?_ He thought,) back across his head.

Even the sudden coolness of the water did nothing to stop his raging fever, but as the girl knelt closer to him he felt strange. His stomach fluttered lightly, like there was a live bird trapped within it. His life force was beating wildly, it was ready to burst out of his chest, it was ready to break in a thousand pieces from the pressure and be rebuilt in a second, and he didn't know why.

They sat in silence for a while; whether it was because Syaoran didn't have the strength to start a conversation or because they just weren't chatty he did not know. It wasn't uncomfortable, in fact the warmest of feelings was spreading throughout Syaoran's body; sinking into his pores and down deep into the very corners of his body.

What he would not know for the longest time is that Sakura was feeling such emotions like his.

It was then that her guardian decided to walk in the room.

When Fai returned with the food he noticed Sakura holding the teen's hand and nearly dropped the bowl he was holding. Suddenly a wave of mother like protectiveness swarmed over him and he slowly walked towards them and placed the bowl on the bedside table.

They jumped when they heard the sound of him putting the bowl; he put it down at lot louder than he thought. Sakura let out a quiet gasp and their hands repelled each other like the opposite ends of a magnet. Once again, their moment was over.

Fai didn't mind that at all. Not that he didn't like the boy, but he was holding his daughter's hand. He did _**not**_ like that.

The girl squeaked out a little welcome and Fai smiled, seeing the boy shift uneasily. He decided not to bother them and pretended like he didn't notice what just went on between them.

"Sakura, we should let him be now. He looks like he's about to fall asleep on us."

The boy tried smiling apologetically but found he couldn't move without great effort. Sakura nodded in understanding and gave him a little wave before she reluctantly left the room. Fai waited for a moment to collect the bowl than instructed the boy to lie down again. The second the girl was gone he felt bad for being harsh, the child was sick after all. Also, he was alone with two complete strangers in a strange bed with an oddly violent temperature. He promised himself that he would apologize to Sakura later.

The man moved to pull the covers up to his shoulders for him and wipe his hand down with a cloth. As Syaoran slowly closed his eyes he couldn't stop thinking about how unnaturally kind this guy was. He had taken him in even though he had only known his daughter for half a day; he had cleaned him, was feeding him, and now was helping him when he was sick! They had only known each other for an hour or so, but strangely he wasn't creeped out by this fact. He found it somewhat comforting to know there was someone else other than Kurogane, for at least for the time being, cared about him.

It was only then he realized he wasn't wearing his clothes anymore. Instead of his white shirt, green sweater and jeans he was now lying in baggy sweatpants and a light blue t-shirt. Syaoran wriggled in discomfort, when had that happened? When Fai noticed him wriggling he asked what was wrong.

"My clothes? Where are they?"

"Oh sorry bout that. They got really dirty cause Sakura kinda had to half carry you through the park and it started raining so you both got pretty muddy. I put them over here." He pointed to the top the dresser where a bundle of clothes lay folded.

"Could you bring them over here for a moment?" Syaoran asked politely and Fai rushed to do as he requested. When the fabrics were placed on his lap he dug through them anxiously, searching for what he had left within his sweater pocket. He let out a long flow of air when he felt the soft feather lying there.

"We didn't take anything." Fai promised and he looked at him. The blond smiled and gazed curiously at the object he was striving so hard to protect. "What is that anyways?"

As he pulled his hand out of his clothes it was holding the white feather delicately. He displayed it on his palms and his host looked at the pink swirling designs with interest.

"Hyuu Syaoran-kun! Where'd you get that? Bet you'd never find a bird with feathers like that around here." He said, issuing a poor attempt at a whistle before he spoke.

"It was my dads." Syaoran said quietly. When Kurogane finally was able to legally adopt him he was given a key to a safety storage box. Now that he was at 16 years he was able to open it, which was set up just before his father's death. Inside it was this feather. Syaoran never knew where it came from or who it originally belonged to, but he knew that now it was his. He figured it was just something his dad found when he was at an excavation, since he was an archeologist, and thought nothing more of it. It was very pretty, but other than that it didn't hold too much sentimental value…or at least that's what he thought until he tried parting with it.

The reason it was with him now was that he was on the way to a pawn shop to sell it. He originally planned to sell it so he could help out Kurogane, but then he ran into Sakura and things turned out the way they did.

His brown orbs turned sad when he thought about his guardian. Was he okay? How long had he been asleep? Where was he? Was he worrying about him? Was he still mad about what happened?

Realizing he hadnt spoken in a while he looked at the blond and apologized quietly. "Sorry." was all he said, and for some reason the man seemed to understand. Those strangely blue eyes softened and Syaoran felt that strange calmness again. Silently he pondered, was this man a foreigner? He had need seen eyes like that. He had seen many of Loshin's people with black eyes, and some of the ones who had been here for generations had red eyes like Kurogane. But how did this unlikely family of a man with blue eyes and a girl with green ever come to meet?

Fai nodded in response to his earlier comment, understanding that the teen might not want to talk about it.

"Here," Syaoran said holding out the clothes. "Could you put these back for me?"

When he did as he said Syaoran thanked him, but the stranger could see the boy was weakening by the second.

"You just get some rest okay? Just shout if you need me. I'll be right outside." Quietly the stranger walked away slowly, still smiling and turned as he extinguished the light, leaving the boy in darkness as he closed the door partway. Syaoran was easily able to fall asleep, but not before he remembered Kurogane: and exactly what had happened the morning he woke up after his unexpected high…

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_Syaoran woke abruptly to a loud knock at the door. He made a move to sit up until he felt something brush against his hand softly, no…something pulling __**away**__ from his hand. _

_With a pounding headache in his temples he barely had the strength to open his eyes as he tried to relieve himself of his flustered, sleepy thoughts. He opened his lids just in time to see the tips of Kurogane's spiky black hair disappear behind the door frame as he walked quietly out of his bedroom. _

Wait? My bedroom?_ He thought to himself as he lay in bed, _Wasn't I going to wait for Kurogane-san to come home?

_Putting a hand to his head he was surprised to find it did nothing to cool his head, in fact, his hand was quite warm as well. Syaoran pulled his fingers back, feeling confused as he slowly sat up. Ignoring the pain raging in his arms he threw his feet out from under the covers and placed them on the floor. That was when he realized the usually cold concrete floor felt strange. _

The floor, _he thought curiously as he knelt down and placed his hands, palm down on the ground. _It's….warm…as if someone had been…

_Looking towards the now open bedroom door he heard Kurogane's rough voice speaking to someone else. Unexpectingly the voices from the front entrance to the apartment got louder, and one sounded almost violent. The second, and violent voice, sounded very familiar but in his sleepy state he could barely hear anything clearly. Who was that? They never got visitors; was something wrong? Usually that was the case._

_He had learned overtime that usually unexpected guests were almost always unwanted as well._

_Stepping out of his room cautiously, he walked across the tiled kitchen floor and tried to see who was there. As Syaoran gazed at their guest he felt his eyes grow wide. His guardian was standing in the open entrance and his tall form all but blocked their visitor from looking inside. But at the exact moment Syaoran walked into the kitchen, the man managed to look inside the small space provided and saw him. _

_Seeing the young boy standing there Grosum raised a think black eyebrow and nodded his head in a silent greeting. Even though it was only the smallest of movements, Kurogane noticed immediately and stiffened. The immediate reaction Syaoran saw as the man turned around to look sternly at him was surprise, than realization, and finally an immediate negative response. In the course of three seconds red eyes met his brown. They showed an emotion Syaoran rarely saw, Kurogane's sadness telling him a story much more complicated than he could ever imagine. _

_Something was dreadfully wrong. _

_Without a word he bolted back into his room and shut the door quietly. He paused for a moment, his heart thudding violently within him, and he desperately tried to remember exactly what it was that was making Kurogane feel so upset. Had something happened? Was he in trouble? Did he do something wrong? _

_Bits and pieces started coming back from the night before, but every memory he got back was blurry, non-descriptive, and unresponsive. Sighing he leaned against the door and slid to the ground, fingering his night shirt nervously. It was only then he gazed upon his arms and realized, he couldn't see the marks the needles made in his skin, because they were bandaged. His eyes grew wide and he felt himself shaking. Kurogane must have found out about last nights drug spectacle. He was the only person who would clean him and bandage him and watch him all night while he slept to protect him. _

_Syaoran tried not to think about this: Kurogane was probably really upset with him and he never liked it when he disappointed his guardian. So he brushed that aside and tried to think about what had caused the other emotions radiating off of his friend. He pressed his ear against the door, hoping to catch what the two men were saying._

_The only reason Grosum ever came by the apartment was when the rent was due. But usually his housemate would just pay the man and he would leave peacefully. Why were they arguing? _

Was that why Kurogane went to the fight last night?_ Syaoran asked himself, _If so then what was Grosum-sama still doing here? Did Kurogane not have the…?

_His body pressed flat against the door he strained his ears to hear what the two adults were saying. _

"_I told you I-!" _

"_It doesn't matter Kurogane. I've warned you before; this is your third month!" _

"_I know but if you'd just-!" _

_Before the black haired man could finish his reply the sound of ripping paper was heard and Kurogane choked on his words. _

_The voices stopped. Syaoran could hear his heart bashing against the wooden door. The silence seemed to carry on for far too long, like a gunshot had just rang off and the world was silent as it waited for the next one. When his guardian spoke next Syaoran could barely hear his muffled words._

"_Please…Grosum-sama." His voice trailed off and suddenly he seemed to get angry his next words were snarled. "Fine!" Then the door was quickly closed, and the soft thud of the plastic door locking in place seemed like a thunderclap breaking through the eerie silence of the apartment. Syaoran sat there waiting for the longest time, waiting for something to happen, for a noise to be heard. For a moment he thought Kurogane and Grosum-sama had left and he moved to open the door. It felt like he had lost his hearing as he moved; not even the sounds of the cars outside and loud chatter of people seemed to be watered down and hardly noticeable. The only thing he could hear was the loud thumping in his ear that told him he was still alive._

_It would be a lie to say that he was prepared for what happened next. As he moved from his doorway once more and raced into the kitchen he saw his crimson eyed companion was facing the doorway still. It was almost as if he was frozen; a still life painting that was extremely detailed and realistic. _

_He was about to go up and ask what that was about until he looked and saw Kurogane's hand, clenched in a tight ball at his side. More importantly though was the little pink slip crumbled and ruined within that tightened sphere._

"_Kurogane?" Syaoran said quietly causing the man to jump, a strange expression on his face. His guardian spun around, black brows furrowed._

"_What are you doing up?" he growled. "You should be sleeping." _

"_Kurogane-san what just happened?" He knew exactly what happened, he just didn't want to believe it._

"_Nothing. It means nothing." The fighter slowly moved towards him and pointed back to his room. "Let's go, we need to talk." Syaoran didn't need to question what about; it was obvious he was going to have to talk about last night, how ever much he didn't want to. _

_Slowly he nodded; he couldn't really say much to that. He did notice though, that as Kurogane passed him and moved across the kitchen to get to the room that he threw something into the trash can rather violently._

_When he stopped he was in the doorway and waited for him to move, his eyes sad, his face hard and his words encouraging. "Come on kid."_

_Head held high he followed his friend's steps and moved silently through the kitchen, trying his best to ignore the pink eviction slip that was sitting in the garbage can. But he couldn't, and he couldn't deny the fact that he and Kurogane were royally screwed this time._

_He knew the drill: If they weren't out in three days the police would go and force them out. There was no turning back, no time to get extra money together or persuade their landlord to give them more time. Suddenly, Syaoran wished he hadn't bought that extra sweater a few months ago, that he hadn't splurged all the money he earned from his job on junk food and the occasional drug. He wished he could take back all those Christmas presents Kurogane had bought for him in their last too Christmases, but he knew it was too late. No matter what his guardian said, there was no way he would be able to weasel his way out of this one. _

_In a few days time, they would be living on the street again. _

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Fai was more than just a little bit concerned about the health of his guest. Just when it seemed that Syaoran was getting better, he got worse. Over night, even with Fai constantly watching him, he seemed to be reverting back to his previous state of sickness and falling more ill by the second. They thought the fever was breaking but eventually he started sweating more violently and coughing uncontrollably. Even though he didn't know the teen well he felt terrible listening to the viciousness of his gagging. Fai felt a certain responsibility for the boy since they were unable to contact his guardian. The boy had been with him for a full day now, and Sakura had volunteered to watch him while Fai went to work. Now that he was on his way back though, he was going to check whether or not the boy was well enough to tell them his phone number. They knew his name, but they didn't have a phone book or else they would have tried to contact them.

The one thing that bothered him most of all though was the bandages around the boy's arms. He obviously didn't know it, he was asleep half the time anyways, but Fai had changed his bandages and saw the damage done to the flesh stretched across his limbs. He could tell that they were injection marks, and knew the boy was a drug addict.

Not used to having drug addicts in the house he didn't know if he should bring this up to him or not. What was really surprising to him was that Syaoran for the most part seemed like a good kid. Sakura had told him what she could about their temporary house guest, and she seemed to enjoy his company, even if he was asleep for most of it. Even if the girl was naïve at times, he had grown to trust Sakura's judgment of people so didn't think too much about Syaoran taking drugs. That didn't mean he approved though. Fai was also worried: was his sudden fever caused by the drugs, was this just a stroke of bad luck, or did the boy have some sort of unspoken condition? And more importantly, was this permanent?

He tried not to think about that, Fai didn't want to see the young teen in any more pain than he already was. But as he stepped in out of the rain and walked up to his apartment he felt his worry grow.

Entering the apartment silently he removed his shoes and shrugged off his soaked coat. Hair and clothes dripping he moved sluggishly past the living area and past the room where he heard two teens giggling quietly. He made his way to the bathroom and peeled off his drenched t-shirt that was clinging to his skin. Leaning against the counter he sighed exhaustingly. Fai tilted up his chin and stared at his reflection in the small bathroom mirror. It was impossible to stop himself from laughing; he looked so much like a drowned blond cat it wasn't even funny. Putting on a fresh t-shirt he realized he didn't have any other jeans than the ones he was wearing and would have to deal. He wrinkled his nose in disgust at the thought of it. He hated the feeling of wet denim.

Realizing he had no other choice he wrung his hair dry with his hands and did what he could to remove the water from his jeans. _Maybe I'll take a blow dryer to it, _he told himself, before realizing they didn't own a hair dryer.

So instead he decided to check in on his little guest and his daughter. He hoped they weren't holding hands again.

"Hey Syaoran-kun." He said quietly as he walked in. He was happy to see that his guest was sitting up, Sakura talking to him gaily as she shuffled a deck of cards in her hands. "How you feeling?" They both turned their heads when they heard him speak.

Syaoran smiled in return, and though he smiled with ease the weariness was still there on his face. "Better, thanks. Sakura's been showing me some card tricks." His voice was also pretty scratchy. Had he been urged into talking too much? Fai made a mental note to talk to his daughter about that and get the boy some tea.

"You haven't been exhausting him have you Sakura-chan?" He said laughing as the girl blushed worryingly. Syaoran was quick to assure her otherwise, but his rapid intake of breath itched his sore throat and he began coughing violently. Fai was at his side quickly to help him sit up while he coughed. Once he was finished Fai propped up his pillows so he could lean agianst something, watching as his weak body heaved with the need for air. Fai was worried as he looked at the hand Syaoran had used to cover his mouth; was that blood?

"You're getting worse Syaoran-kun. Maybe its time for us to call Kurogane-san." Sakura said her worry showing evidently through her facial features.

He nodded slowly and Fai saw a certain discomfort on his face. Silently he pondered; was his dad mad at him? Had he done something wrong? Syaoran wasn't a runaway like he was…was he?

"Sakura, can you go get the phone?" When the cheerful girl disappeared around the corner Fai looked at Syaoran worryingly.

"Is something wrong Syaoran?" he said slowly. "There a reason you don't want us to call someone?" Maybe he was a fugitive from the law? Was he housing a criminal? Fai highly doubted that.

Furiously the boy shook his head but looked down at the comforter shamefully. "Im just…not sure if you'll still be able to…" Oh. Maybe they didn't have a phone? "We should still try though."

As Sakura come forward she carried the entire phone unit, hostler and all since it was removable from the wall, she held it out to Fai and he took the top half of the device. "Alright. If you're sure. What is the number?"

Suddenly the boy's eyes turned strange, filling with a emotion the blond could not decipher and he called out weakly to him.

"Please," he said in a pleading voice, "may….may I talk to him?" Fai found it hard to resist those wide eyes, and sighed, keeping his light smile on his face.

Hesitantly the blond let him take the phone from Sakura and place it on the lap.

"We will be waiting outside. Call if you need anything." Ushering the girl out of the room they stepped out in the hallway while the boy dialed the number. They didn't close the door.

There was a silent pause, only interrupted by the child's violent coughing, while they waited for his guardian to answer.

"That better be you kid." A gruff voice growled into the phone, his voice echoing loudly across the room. The teen smiled and tried to reply when he burst into a coughing fit. Fai winced when he saw the heaviness in the boy's throaty coughs; he knew he shouldn't have let him talk.

"Syaoran?"

"I'm here." The kid said, finding his voice. "Im sorry."

"Don't apologize, where are you? What happened? Why didn't you call?"

"I, I got sick. Luckily I was with a friend and she let me stay at her place since I...," the boy tried to finish but suddenly found himself exhausted. He slumped back against the bed again and Fai moved back into the room. Moving towards his bed he helped him sit back up. Syaoran accepted the help gratefully and gave him a little, weak smile.

"Kid? You okay kid?"

The teen gave a nod but realized Kurogane couldn't hear a head movement and spoke. "Yes, Im just…tired…"

"Listen, you just hang in there okay? Im coming to get you." There was a pause and a jingle of keys as Kurogane locked the apartment. "Fuck kid. You really know how to scare a man shitless don't you?" His words were harsh but his voice was more careful than anything. However much he wouldn't say it, Fai could tell that the man was scared, and worried about the sick teen.

"Im sorry Kurogane-san." Syaoran said in a small voice, smiling weakly into the phone. "Didn't mean to worry you or nothing."

"Worried? Fuck kid I was ready to call the cops again! I thought you'd been hurt or…" Fai heard the man's voice ring through the phone and felt it had a sense of familiarity to it. Wait, harsh voice, Kurogane…the blond put two and two together. "Anyways," the voice continued, "where are you, im coming to get you."

"Syaoran-kun?" Fai chirped in, frolicking towards his bed. "Is it alright if I speak with him?" He blinked his brown eyes once than nodded, handing the phone towards him.

Fai took it with a small thank you, smiling as he held it against his face.

"Is that you Kuro-puppy?"

Silence was heard from the other end and Fai swore he heard the man's heart stop.

"…Oh hell no."

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	6. His Temporary Home

**HEY! Sorry that took WAAAYYY LONGER THAN I EXPECTED! Hopefully it was worth the wait. Really sorry if it wasnt. Tell me what i need to fix!! Constructive criticism is always welcomed and appreciated!**

**Thank you to:**

**Black Mists**

**Darkening Sights**

**Monkeys.4eva**

**Princess of Oblivion**

**Thiendrah**

**Tomoyo**

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**yoshikochan**

**UnexpectedInspiration**

**japanesenut**

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**Flowing Breeze**

**Tomi Lang** _**(my fellow word inventor XD LMAO)**_

**Melissa Brite**

**Silver-Serval**

**InvertDouble**

**PhreshxxxBear**

**AND **

**Aika08**

**YOU GUYS ARE AWESOMENESSES!!! :D**

Chapter Six: His Temporary Home

The tall fighter raced to the apartments, trying desperately to remember the directions the blonde had told him.

This was just getting too freaky for his liking. Kurogane had just met that idiot two days ago and not even 24 hours after their first meeting, he already had his boy in his apartment. Was Syaoran really sick? Had they somehow hurt him? No…he didn't think the imbecile had it in him to hurt a child.

Still…

When the kid didn't come back the next night he had feared the worst. At first he thought the Syaoran was mad at him for not having enough money to pay for the rent, that maybe he didn't want to depend on someone who wouldn't be able to take care of him and would get him evicted.

But he knew that the teen wasn't like that. They had been through tough times together and had always stuck by his side. His next worry, even worse that the first, was that he had been hurt. The words that Seshiro had spoke to him about the measures he would take to have Kurogane on their side scared him. He knew that the gang would act upon their threats too: but he didn't know why! What had he ever done? What did he have that they wanted? The Tomya gang didn't search out for new recruits, especially not ones like him, who despite their police records were known for their hatred of gang violence.

"_After we deal with that brat of yours…"_

Fuck. He was not going there. If those men had any intention of trying to recruit him he was getting him and the kid the hell away from here.

By now he was speed walking, those dangerous thoughts plaguing his mind with hurtful outcomes.

That annoying blondie better not have hurt him or he would kill him.

And that wasn't one of his empty threats.

-------------------------------------------------------

"Ah if it isn't Kuro-chiki! Knew you'd drop by eventually." Fai chirped as the dark man stood in the doorway, barely fitting.

"Don't mess with my head idiot just tell me where the kid is!" Kurogane snarled, shouldering his way past Fai's thin frame and looking around the apartment, fists clenched and eyes smoky.

"Don't worry; Sakura-chan is with him." Fai replied over his shoulder and Kurogane turned to face him.

"Sakura?"

"My daughter."

"Oh." Kurogane didn't know he was married, he figured he was gay…well yah could you blame him? The fighter shall always insist that it was his irritation at Fai avoiding his earlier question and not disappointment that made him frown.

The blonde waved at him as he closed the door, inviting him in even though he was already inside. "Come on Kuro-tan! Come inside, come inside! Syaoran-kun is very tired right now, we thought his fever was breaking for a while there; he was even talking to us. (That's when we got him on the phone), but shortly after that he started to get worse so I had Sakura run down to the store and get some medicine before it started raining. She came back just before you did." The man continued blabbering as they walked towards a room situated on the right, than held a finger to his lips before knocking on the door.

"Syaoran-kun?" He called softly. "Is it okay if I come in?"

The boy didn't respond and Fai's brows tilted downwards ever so slightly and he and Kurogane thought the same thing; was he getting worse? Before he could call again Kurogane had already pushed the door open: for even though what Fai said seemed to fit Syaoran's story, he wanted to see for himself that these strangers hadn't hurt his kid.

When he walked in the first thing he noticed was that the idiot had told the truth: he did have a daughter, because even if he was gay he highly doubted he would have pictures of kittens AND preteen boy bands all over his wall. Next thing he noticed was that Syaoran was indeed there. Walking swiftly towards the bed in two quick strides he stood over the teen protectively, searching for any signs of hurt other than his fever. Glad when he found none he put a hand on the kid's head and frowned when he found it burning. It wasn't uncommon for him to have side effects from the drugs he took for a few days after, since the syringes he bought hadn't come from reliable sources. However, Kurogane had never felt a head this warm before. It felt like his hand was in bubbling cooking grease, sweaty and lava like.

He felt the skin underneath his hand tense and the boy slowly opened his eyes. They widened slightly when they saw Kurogane and he shifted under his guardian's intense gaze. "K-K-Kurog…" His voice drifted off as he coughed and in an instant Fai was next to him, pushing the tall warrior aside with his hips. A ready glass of water in his hands he put a hand on the teen's back to help him sit while he drank earnestly from the plastic.

"Here," Fai said sliding the boy gently back into the bed. Kurogane was surprised how gentle he was considering he was always so hyper towards him. The blonde haired man pulled the covers back up gently but Syaoran was trying desperately to get to Kurogane. Fai looked at him than moved aside so the crimson eyed youth could sit on the bed next to him. The idiot was looking at the pair of them, amazed that Syaoran seemed to make such a big improvement just because the cold, careful man was next to him.

"You came."

"You thought I wasn't going to?"

"I thought you'd be mad at me."

"Don't worry you'll get your scolding when your actually awake enough to hear what im saying." Kurogane huffed. "Not that you'd listen to anything I'd say anyways."

Syaoran smirked and the dark haired man couldn't help but give a wolf like grin in response. But his smile dampered when he saw the youth close his eyes flutter shut, two butterfly wings closing as all life slipped away. His breathing slowed and the corners of his mouth lowered even more. He was asleep.

"How long has he been like this?" Kurogane questioned intently, scowling when Fai began to count on his fingers curiously; didn't he know how to be serious?

"Hmm Sakura chan came home that day at about five soooo…." His smile dampered. "About 30 hours." Kurogane shifted awkwardly and sighed. "I should probably take him home." He made a move towards the bed but Fai moved quickly in his way.

"You crazy? You're planning on taking a sick child out in that!" He pointed at the billowing winds and pouring rain outside. The fighter didn't want to admit the man was right, but he had to notice how he had to raise his voice to be heard over the pounding rain. He wanted to disagree (because he hated being told he was wrong), but was also worried that by now they would not have a home to return to. Tomorrow was supposed to be the day they were going to be forced to leave.

"Well what am I supposed to do?" he snapped instead of agreeing with him. The smile the bright man gave off made his knees wobble and urged him to get the hell out of there at the same time. Silently he bashed himself in the head as he saw the man clap his hands together with anticipation.

"We can have a sleepover!!!"

Dear god. What the hell had he gotten himself into? Kurogane growled, face ablaze.

"Don't call it that!"

"Isn't that what it is? GIAH!!" Quickly Fai ducked a blow from one of Kurogane's tanned arms. "Geez Kuro-puppy, why are you foaming at the mouth? You got rabies or something?" he giggled when he saw Kurogane consider killing him. He was having too much fun with this. Fai didn't think about it at the time, but he had never given someone a nickname before, that was usually Yuui's thing. Maybe this was a good thing; maybe it was a bad thing. But at the time, it was more fun than Fai ever imagined having.

Kurogane was actually contemplating hurting him, but then remembered the brat and knew he definitely wouldn't be allowed to stay if he killed their host.

"If I had rabies you'd be the first person I'd bite." Man that sounded too dirty for his liking.

"Ouch, isn't that a little harsh Kurgs?"

"Do I look like I…Where the fuck do you get these names from?! You've molded my name into something that sounds like some sort of STI."

"Aww but I thought it sounded cute!" And he began to list off all the possible endings he could put on the end of Kurogane's name. The red eyed warrior wanted nothing more than to knock the man unconscious, and with every stupid sounding name that emerged from his mouth his will to resist was depleting.

Groaning he covered his ears with his hands.

"Would you just stop already?"

Fai pranced in front of him and pivoted on his toes so he was walking backwards and facing his angry companion.

"But we're having so much fun Kurger-Burger!" he said this loudly and heard the boy in the bed next to them shuffle, shifting the covers closer to his body. Fai lowered his voice to a whisper. "We should go to the kitchen so we don't wake him." Kurogane didn't nod in agreement, but shoved his way past muttering something along the lines of: "Kurger-Burger…what the fuck?"

Together they moved away from the bedroom leaving the door open so they could hear Syaoran if he needed them.

They settled in the kitchen and Fai immediately took on the role of entertaining his guest.

"Do you want some hot chocolate?" He asked as he graciously spun around, gathering his materials using his long arms to prepare himself some.

"Du'n like sweet things."

Fai looked like someone threw an angry cat on him as a look of horror and disbelief converted his features.

"Not possible." He insisted, "I'll make you some anyways, you'll LOVE it!"

Kurogane didn't know how to respond; hadn't he just said no? But he knew further retort would be useless so just leaned against the counter top. Fai moved skillfully around the kitchen with a certain elegance he observed; almost as if there were full glasses of water lining the floor and he had to dance on top of them without spilling anything. He tried to avert his crimson eyes from the man in front of him, but found it surprisingly hard. Why the hell was he swinging his hips?

WHY THE HELL WAS HE LOOKING AT HIS HIPS?!

Sure, he wasn't a bad looking guy, but he was annoying as hell. Yet something intrigued him. Kurogane had previously dubbed himself the master of reading people; but now he questioned his skills. Why wasn't he getting anything from this guy? Why couldn't he tell if he was a good person, or a bad person? He knew that Fai appeared happy and joyful and trustworthy, but Kurogane could see he was hiding something. Underneath his happy demeanor the 20 year old adult had a sense of knowledge around him, a hurtful knowledge that was the only reason for Fai residing in Loshin. It irked Kurogane to not know what it was, but he had no intention of bringing it up. He desperately wanted to know; he never liked secrets.

But god knows he had a few secrets of his own.

So he did not question his character, and instead questioned his motives.

For instance, he said his girl was with Syaoran. That must have been a lie, because no girl was there.

"So where is that Sakura girl you were talking about?"

"Sakura-chan?" Fai mused tapping his chin as he poured the boiling water into two separate mugs. "Well if she's not here, and she's not with Syaoran-kun then she probably just went to wash up. The rain isn't very clean around here." Kurogane nodded.

As the blonde got a pot of water on the stove to boil Kurogane quietly attuned his hearing a heard the sound of running water.

Okay, so he wasn't lying.

So where was the girl's mother?

He didn't think he had a right to ask so he didn't.

Instead he tried to confirm Syaoran's story. "So what the hell happened? How did you meet my kid?"

"Sakura remember? Apparently they just ran into each other while she was at work and he suddenly fell ill. He certainly had quite a fever when I came home. Poor Sakura was having a fit; one second he was talking to her and the next he was slumped on her."

_Eek. I Hope the kid hadn't scared her too bad._

"But I told her that it would clear up in a few days and she's calmed down since then. They have become quite good friends." Phew, the man hadn't noticed Syaoran's marks. At least, if he did he wasn't letting on that he did. Later he promised himself to check if his bandages had been changed. Then he took in the second half of Fai's sentence.

Dang, Kurogane wasn't sure if their friendship was going to be a good thing.

Setting a steaming plastic mug in front of his guest the idiot smiled goofily at him. Kurogane blinked, wondering why he was staring so intently. At first he thought his host was searching him with his eyes till he pointed at the mug with a long finger. Grunting he picked up the steaming mug by the cracked handle and gazed at it critically.

"I guess I don't have a choice? I _have_ to drink it?" Fai shook his head.

"No, you have a choice it's just…" Whoa. He had a bad feeling about this; the idiot's eyes had grown twice their side and pleading, sparkling sadly as the corners of his mouth slowly overturned and his head tilted downwards. Looking down at the counter he folded his shaking hands on the counter as he bit on his quivering lower lip. "…I'd like it if you tried…"

Kurogane quickly shoved most of it down the hatch in two massive gulps. Anything to get the man to stop making that face; he didn't like how it made him feel.

Damn him. He hadn't known him for more than a few days and he was already pulling the pout out on him. His resolve slowly crumbled as he saw those oddly colored spheres, resembling the most sparkling shade of blue he had ever seen.

When Fai continued staring at him Kurogane took another gulp and the blonde started cheering in the background. The liquid hesitate in his mouth momentarily, tasting it before it went down his throat. It wasn't _bad_it was actually quite good; but he wasn't a fan of sweet things, he liked coffee better. Hard, strong, black coffee was much more affordable and it tasted better.

He did take another sip though, just to see him smile.

Although he didn't understand why he wanted him to smile…

Seemingly please with himself Fai leaned across the counter and patted him on the head. "Good boy."

Before Kurogane had the chance to bite of his fingers he heard the pitter patter of footsteps and his head shot upwards. A young girl was emerging from a room on the others side of the hall almost directly across from where Syaoran was sleeping. As she walked into the kitchen, she rolled up her short brown hair on top of her head in a towel as she moved in her warm pajamas.

Sakura looked surprised when she saw there was another man in the kitchen standing so close to her guardian. Confusion filled her gaze and her cheeks burned up when she felt the man's stare rest on her. Not that she felt too intimidated by this man, but he couldn't help feeling a little awkward at being seen in her nightclothes.

Oh. So this was Sakura.

Fai smiled and gestured towards the girl. "Kuro-rishi, this is Sakura. Sakura-chan, this is Syaoran's guardian Kurogane."

The girl dipped her head in a bow, her confusion changing to happiness. "Thank you for coming Kurogane-san. Syaoran was feeling very ill. Im sorry we could not call you sooner we didn't know how to reach you." Kurogane angled his head in response.

"It's okay. You got me eventually didn't you?"

Sakura nodded slightly and shifted awkwardly. Suddenly she muttered something about her hair and raced back into the washroom. Kurogane could do nothing but stiffle a laugh at how she was acting and Fai looked at him shaking his head.

"Sorry about that. She gets nervous sometimes when she meets new people."

The tall man shrugged. "D'un matter to me." Honestly it didnt. But now that they were alone, and Kurogane heard Syaoran's coughing coming from the other side of the apartment someting reached his attention.

_Do I really have to....,_ he argued with himself the moment the idea came to him.

_**YES KUROGANE. YES YOU DO.**_

_No. I dont want to I'll look like a fucking idiot._

_Too late for that._

**_WHAT IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?_**

_Just do it. _

"Hey," he began awkwardly. "I never actually you know…" His host tilted his head curiously, blue eyes blinking. Damn Kurogane hated when he did that, it made him look so cute.

_**DAMN IT! **__Oh fuck all just get it over with Kurogane._

"Thanks, for helping the kid. And for…" Shit this was just getting too embarrassing, he couldn't say it. Fai seemed to be getting what he was trying to say and giggled.

"Aww poor Kuro-woof doesn't want to admit that someone like me," he pointed a finger at himself, "saved someone like you." His finger jabbed Kurogane's shoulder playfully.

This time he couldn't resist the heat swelling on his face. "Would you stop it with those fucking names already? Why do you talk like that?"

There it was once again, that confused cat like look that grew on his face. Why, oh why did it have to complement him so well?

"Talk like what?"

"Your accent, it makes those stupid names even more annoying. What is it anyways? You're obviously not originally from around here; I've never seen anyone with eyes and hair like yours."

"Foreign." He simply said. "I came from Celus a few years ago. I assume your originally from Loshin? You fit the national stereotype."

Kurogane nodded. They were well known to have dark hair and tanned skin; they got waaayyy to much sun in the summer.

Sakura came out from the bathroom again, this time without her towel and her hair mostly dry.

"Fai-san," she said in a sleepy voice. "Do you mind if I lie down a bit? Im really tired…" her voice seemed to damper as a yawn escaped her lips. Fai smiled.

"Go ahead." He said before he went back into Sakura's room, "just let me get something."

So now he was left alone with the girl.

This was the person Syaoran had met and made an instant connection with?

He tried not to stare her down but knew he was failing miserably when she shifted, walking into the kitchen looking for something to do. Lucky for her she still had to pull out the futon to make it into a bed. It wasn't his fault! He was just naturally curious and he smothered his curiosity with glares.

As she felt under the bed frame for the leaver she suddenly popped it sending the mattress tilting upwards. Sakura gasped rushing to push the mattress back down while struggling to keep the frame from breaking due to pressure buildup. Seeing her struggle so significantly Kurogane felt bad and moved forward to help her.

"Here," He said gruffly as he forced the frame back into the futon stage. "The trick with this thing is that you have to keep forcing the frame out, even if the mattress keeps putting up you have to keep pushing and the mattress will fall back down. Don't freak out and run after it or the frame will get broken as it folds in an awkward position."

Sakura seemed almost in awe as she saw Kurogane rush to help her. She nodded and muttered her thanks, blushing slightly as her and Kurogane both pulled the frame out, slower this time. Once they both had it down they fixed the mattress so that it was straight. She sent him a smile and he felt his crimson eyes smoothed and the corners of his mouth lifted in a small smile. He found he couldn't not smile when he was with her, she had this sort of warmth around her that radiated off of her body and came crushing into his pores. She reached down to gather the sheets to place on the mattress and once again the tall man helped her put them on.

When Fai came back into the room the bed was completely ready and Kurogane was once again leaning against the counter, cup in hand. The crimson eyed man watched as Fai talked with his daughter in a quiet voice, that same stupid smile never leaving his face. Except…now that he wasn't being annoying, his smile didn't seem so stupid…

It was actually quite pretty.

He noticed that Fai was holding another sheet in his hands and was surprised when he saw him hang up on corner of the sheet on the coat rack on one wall, and the pinned the other side to the wall with a big red push pin. Now most of the light was blocked out since the main light bulb was right above the living room and not in the kitchen. As Kurogane was illuminated in darkness he listened to the ever steady knocking sound of the rain and watched the jumping, deformed shadows of the two people moving silently behind the curtain. He saw the two figures duck close and heard muttered voices but turned his head away, finding he had no reason to listen into their conversation.

When Fai pulled back the sheet to come back on this side he called out his goodnights and let the white cloth fall back into place.

"Goodnight Sakura-chan, sleep well."

"Night Fai-san! Oh wait!" she said rushing out from behind the curtain so she was back in view. "Goodnight Kurogane-san!" She said bowing before blushing and running back into her makeshift bed. Kurogane had to stop himself from laughing at her shyness and instead just smiled.

Fai let out a small 'aww' ing sound but with one death glare from the tall man he was silenced and giggled quietly as he extinguished the lights.

"You look tired Kurgs, it's pretty late. Do you want to go to bed? Or are you hungry?"

Kurogane shook his head although he couldn't deny that he was both hungry AND exhausted, since he neither had slept nor ate since Syaoran didn't come back that night. Of course, he would never admit this to either of them.

Fai just nodded, either unwilling to force him otherwise or knowing he would never budge even if he tried. "Alright but lets get you set up for bed anyways. I'll assume you'll be staying the night?"

Kurogane snorted. "I don't have much of a choice."

"Naw not really."

"Then yah."

"YAY!" he exclaimed then hurried to shush himself now that Sakura was here. "Wait right here," he said, this time in a whisper as he disappeared once more.

"I'm sorry." Fai apologized as he emerged holding out a wooly blanket sprawled across his arms. "This is all I have." Kurogane shook his head.

"Than you take it, I'm not taking your only one." Fai just laughed as he threw the piece of fabric onto his head. The man growled and untangled it from his body, glaring daggers. The blonde waved sheepishly wiggling his fingers lightly.

"I'm going to take a shower. Make yourself comfortable!" he said giggling.

Before Kurogane could protest or come up with a retort, Fai had danced away and out of view. So the black haired man stood there in disbelief.

_What just happened?_ Kurogane thought shaking his head pathetically. Figuring it was just too complicated to sort out he decided to take Blondie's advice and get himself settled for sleep on the floor. But first he decided to check in on his young adopted charge.

Softly he turned the plastic doorknob and shuffled silently in. He moved across the floor like broken glass littered the ground, treading softly over the wood as he approached his child's bed. He paused as he stood teetering over him, blinking as he gazed where his feet had ordered him to go. The rain was still going outside, the glass window shaking as drops pelted silently against it. Through the dimness of the room it was impossible to see the brat clearly but he heard his breathing and when he placed a warm hand on top of Syaoran's brown hair he felt it rise up and down as he took in slow, labored breaths. Standing there, watching him sleep like this made Kurogane angry. Not just angry at the brat, but angry at himself.

To say the least Kurogane felt like a fucking idiot. He should never have left the boy alone, he shouldn't have gone to the fight. Maybe if he had been more careful and given the slip to the men who had followed him he would never have lost the money and they wouldn't be getting evicted. Right now they were living off of the kindness of one man. And that kindness would not last forever.

But Kurogane knew that the state of his friend was not only his fault. The kid should have known he would probably get sick if he moved around too much. What the hell was he thinking? Leaving the apartment like that!

Curious the tall man turned to look at the dresser, anxious to see if Syaoran's clothes would give him an answer. The folded fabric he was wearing earlier was resting neatly on top of it. Footsteps echoing as he moved he leaving a work tanned hand on the fabric he dug through it quietly. A shape was etched into Syaoran's sweater and Kurogane unfolded it to see what it was the cloth was concealing.

As his eyes gazed upon the hidden treasure his face converted into a mask of uncontrollable rage, like a sea storming and sending jolts of electricity down his spine furiously. Slowly he placed the feather back on top of the clothes, finding it increasingly difficult to stop himself from punching the shit out of the walls surrounding him. His blood flowed earnestly, like water running down a fast moving stream; his limbs twitching like he was being poked and prodded by thousands of huge, bulging needles. His eyes were burning a hole through his sockets and he could feel his teeth rattling against the roof of his mouth.

Curse him. How could the boy even THINK about selling that? He knew Syaoran never really understood the bond that was supposed to be between father and son, but had he REALLY been planning on selling away the only thing he had left of his late father? Kurogane felt more than angry, he was feeling utterly repulsed, completely repulsed. Did Syaoran really not understand that life was meant to be treasured? That the memories of those past should be cherished, should be nourished?

God, Kurogane would give anything to have a piece of his mother to remember her by…

So his thoughts drifted as his eyes wandered back into the face of the child locked away in slumber. By now his anger had all but disappeared.

_Maybe that's why Syaoran first got into drugs_, he contemplated wordlessly. Since he never had people to care when he was younger, had he never learned about the value of life and the overall carelessness of death?

Suddenly he felt tired, way too tired. Maybe it was just because now that he was sure of Syaoran's situation, he was letting himself feel all the things he was bottling up since he left. Slowly he felt himself sinking, and just had enough time to cover himself with the blanket before he fell against the wall and into an exhausted, yet well deserved slumber.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Fai felt it necessary to stay awake that night. Not that he didn't trust Kurogane but….no he didn't trust him. No one could really blame him though; this was the first time he had a man sleeping next to him since…well in a while.

So he chose to lie on the other side of the room, he decided as he emerged from the shower and got dressed in his clothes. He really wished he had something more decent to change into, but decided against walking into Syaoran's room with nothing but a towel on. Fai quickly got dressed and suppressed his yawns as he forced his body to keep his eyes open. Soon he would submerge in the world of unconsciousness, but first he actually had to get to the living room. Silently he tip-toed out of the bathroom and down the hallway, pausing momentarily as he passed the dimly lit room where he heard two sets of breaths.

That's odd, two? What was that shape in Syaoran's room? When he walked into the living room and saw he and Sakura were the only ones there he decided it had to be Kurogane. He smiled softly and settled himself down for sleep, choosing not to bother him out of his sleep.

He was not used to hearing so many people breathing in his apartment: he never had any guests so it was usually just him and Sakura. As he lay on top of his soaked coat he closed his eyes and listened. Distantly he heard the sound of Sakura muttering in her sleep, of Syaoran rolling around in his sheets, and Kurogane's quiet snores. Hmm was Kuro-chii getting a cold to? Beyond that he heard the far away sounds of the city; the vibrations of passing cars, the stench of rotting garbage, the sound of people yelling and drunkards singing. All these mingled sounds seemed to dull down to a soft hum, merging together to form a slow, quite…sad lullaby that made him drift into his own, restless sleep.

Although he didn't sleep fitfully that night, and lay awake wondering what was going to happen to him, he couldn't possibly know that these most recent chain of events would change his, and Sakura's, life for the better.

Considerably.

* * *

**Thanks for Reading guys! And tell me what you think ;)**

**Signed,**

**Destiny's Daughter.**

* * *


	7. The Million Dollar Question

**(Dodges flying muffins thrown by angry people) PLEASE DON'T KILL ME! I INTEND TO FINISH THIS BEFORE I DIE! Im SO sorry it's taken me a month to finish this. : ( I intended to have this up a lot sooner.**

**Thanks to all who reviewed and put this on story alert/favorite story and all that other fun stuff. ^^ I love you all to pieces! **

**Thanks to:**

**AnimeFreak4261**

**Aika08**

**Princess of Oblivion**

**Invert Double**

**(no name) **_**:( I feel bad I can't write thanks to these peoples :(**_

**Flowing Breeze**

**PhreshxxxBear**

**Melissa Brite**

**UnexpectedInspiration**

**Tomi Lang**

**Japanesenut **

**Tomoyo**

**Max Ride Fan 13**

**Winterblossoms**

**Lilly Love**

**Elany**

**Army of Smith**

**Ninor-san **

**AND **

**Sora-Oathkeeper-Oblivion**

**Thanks to everyone!!!!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles and all quotes belong to Clamp.**

* * *

Chapter Seven: The Million Dollar Question

"Someone tell me what _I'm_ doing here again?"

"Because Kuro-rin," Fai chirped in his ear before grasping the handle bar of the cart and turning down another aisle in the supermarket, "Someone needed to stay home and watch Syaoran-kun."

"Why not let me stay? I am his guardian after all."

"Because," Fai said as he selected a box of cereal to see if it passes his health inspection. "No, too much sugar." He put the box back and picked up another one. Ah, much better. "I know you're a nice guy, it's so sweet of you to help me, but did you think I was going to leave you alone in my apartment with my daughter? You're still an amazing guy, don't worry but I did just meet you after all." He reached a hand up to ruffle his black hair but Kurogane moved out of his way just in time.

It had been a week since Syaoran had gotten sick and he finally seemed to be getting out of it for the last and final time. Fai knew Kurogane was worried because although he left for work the moment he came back he would be attached to his bedside. Now though, Syaoran had been well for about two whole days, eating, moving, and talking normally. Kurogane knew it was a only a matter of time before Fai's kindness would run out, and he would ask when they were planning on moving back out.

But the thing is Fai knew that Kurogane knew that they had no place to move back in to. He had pretended he didn't notice the day. The day when Kurogane came back from his apartment carrying two full backpacks stuffed with clothes and a garbage bag filled with belongings. Fai knew that the clothes were necessary since they were staying a while, but the fact that he was carrying objects and the devastated look of the fighters face was enough to get the blonde thinking. He couldn't stop thinking about what Syaoran said about no one answering the phone when they called:

_I'm just…not sure if you'll still be able too…_

That was the reason he was still letting them live with him, he was bound to insist to any who would question his motives. They were going through a tough time and they needed him.

But was it something deeper than that?

Only time would tell.

Kurogane continued walking in silence, more like stomping actually. He obviously agreed with Fai's reasoning now that he thought about it, and the blonde guessed by his sudden crankiness that he was unable to come up with a come back quick enough.

Fai motioned down another aisle and told Kurogane to stop the cart. Bending down he picked up a pack of 24 water bottles and snorted to himself when he found he could not lift them. He knew he should have continued to work out.

"Puppy?" he said throwing his head over his shoulder, "could you help me?"

Grunting Kurogane took the package from the struggling man without comment and placed it on top of the overfilling cart. Fai was glad of that change, it had been a long time since they'd been able to afford enough food. Then again, now they had four mouths to feed instead of two so the second contribution of income from Kurogane was welcomed.

"Thanks! Who's a good doggy?"

"Do you have a death wish?"

"Don't answer my question with a question, silly dog. Now," Fai winked as he put his hand dangerously close to Kurogane's which was resting on the front of the cart. "Can I drive?"

The fighter snorted as he let go of the bar, letting the hyper man take control for only half a second before realizing his mistake. "Hey get back here!!" His arm struck out to grab it back but it was too late. Soon Fai was speeding past the high stacked shelves like a hot rod down the freeway. Kurogane raced after him, knees bent up high as he sprinted like a maniac, dodging under the arms of passing women holding bags and some boxer boys who were stacking shelves full of food.

Finally he caught up with him when Fai went to a speeding stop, almost careening into an elderly man and his granddaughter, in front of the chocolate isle. Almost as if in a trance Fai slowly took two hands off the cart and eyes wide took long quick strides down the isle.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Kurogane protested as he lunged forward and grabbed the man by his arm. "Remember what you said? You're only allowed to buy the things on the list?"

"But," Fai began to protest as the fighter dragged him where he couldn't get his hands on the mouthwatering brown delicacy. "Come on Kuro-chan just one? Please? PleasepleasepleasepleasePLLLEEASSSEEE!!!"

"Why are you begging me?" He snorted. "It's your money don't forget, im just following your orders remember? '"Don't let me buy anything that isn't on the list!"'" he mimicked, trying to make his voice go as high as it could without cracking.

_Hmm not a bad impression Kurgs._

Sighing Fai shook Kurogane's thick arm off and slumped forward, arms heaving in front of him like a gorilla as he looked down at the floor dejectedly.

"Watch out!" he heard someone yell before he felt clothing push against his neck line, feeling a whoosh in front of him as something nearly land on him. Blinking he looked down and noticed six boxes spilling out their contents of canned beans close to the floor of his shoes.

Dang. That REALLY would have hurt if that fell on his head like it was about to.

"Im so sorry!" He heard someone blubber out, probably the store clerk who wasn't watching where he was going when he was driving the box carrier. Fai just shook his head, half in shock as he looked at the tanned arm that was still holding on firmly too the back of his shirt.

"Idiot!" he muttered, Fai heard him give an oath under his breath.

Swearing? For him?

"You want to die so bad then I'll kill you myself." Kurogane said angrily as he moved Fai out of the way of the store employees cleaning up the spilled and now spoiled food.

He was sure surprised when Fai swung around and send him a wide cheerful, even somewhat grateful smile.

"Aww Kurgie-wanki you know you wouldn't kill me."

"What makes you so sure of that?"

"Because you could never catch me."

And he was off.

The only way for Kurogane to catch him was to chase him, and that's exactly what Fai wanted. Kurogane knew that Fai knew that he wanted to chase him, and possibly kill him. Yet deep down, the dark haired man was starting to realize that he didn't want to kill that blue eyed idiot as much as he insisted he did.

Kurogane growled when he finally caught up, ignoring the stares he was getting from his fellow shoppers. He caught Fai by the elbow and pulled the cart to a screeching halt with one jerk of his strong arm. Panting slightly from the chase he rolled his eyes as he put one arm on either side Fai, hands resting on the handle bars. Fai was still facing the front, but he could feel Kuro's breath on the back of his neck.

_Whoa. This is a little close, _Fai thought to himself and had to stop himself from blushing as he turned around to face him, his mischievous mind coming up with an idea. Thinking about how best to accomplish this task he stared up into those red eyes and smiled. Kurogane looked just so adorable when he was angry!

The thought made him smile and the fighter glared him down.

"You're a real pain in the ass you know that?" He said angrily.

The blonde shook his head, sending his gold hair brushing against Kuro's nose ever so lightly. Fai was amazed; he never knew a face could go that shade of red.

"I'm not a 'pain in the ass' as you put it." He was smiling and he pushed his body up on his tip toes so their faces were inches apart. "I am just merely difficult for you to understand." He was close now. Real close. At the time it was hard for the blonde to understand why he enjoyed being so close to the dark haired fighter. "I'm just," now their noses were touching. Kurogane looked real scared now. "Complicated." Fai breathed warm air against the fighter's tanned jaw line.

"HA!" he yelled as he swiped up his hand and pretended to grab at Kurogane's face, nearly scaring the fighter half to death and out of his daze. "I GOT YOUR NOSE! I GOT YOUR NOSE!" Fai was smart enough to retreat to a safe distance.

The crimson eyed man blinked for half a second, his face matching his eyes before crossing his arms and looking away. "You're so immature."

"Aww come on aren't you going to chase me?"

"Uh. Hell no."

"But it's no fun if you don't fight back!"

No response. Fai sighed exasperatingly before walking back and pretending to put his nose back on. "Kurgs you're such a sore loser. Kurogane opened his mouth and tried to bite at his fingers.

"Hyuu~! Why did I have to buy a doggy that bites?" Halfway through his sentence and he was already running.

Kurogane did the most unpredictable thing yet. Turning the cart around, eyes narrowed in anticipation he put all his weight on the front of the cart, pulled a wheelie and pushed off the ground with one of his strong legs. Fai could only blink in shock as Kurogane came racing after him, riding the shopping cart like he'd done it since his teen years, gaining momentum with each passing second.

Any passing people couldn't help but stare, as Fai continued to run, squealing and laughing uncontrollably followed closely after by the tall Kurogane, bent over the bar of the cart, eyes narrowed in concentration with the most serious of expressions guiding his actions.

Anyone watching would know instantly that they were insane.

And madly falling for each other.

Their game continued for only a few minutes as the manager told them to buy their items and get out or they'd call security. Fai giggled and even Kurogane smirked and chuckled at that. However they did as they were told and began to get the last of their groceries and make their way towards the front of the store.

They were just heading to the check out line when Fai remembered something.

"Hyuu?" he said poking one of Kurogane's buff shoulders.

"What?" Kurogane grunted over his shoulder, barely turning around as he put a packaged of bottled water on the conveyer belt.

"You check out, I'll be right back."

The tall man just shrugged his shoulders and Fai took that as his cue to leave. Spinning around on his heels he walked quickly towards the liquor wall he had passed earlier when they first entered the store. His left hand hidden in his jean pocket he let his thumb stick out, tapping it against his thigh, lips pursed in a small smile he gazed upon his selection. Finally he saw the name he had been instructed to get and carefully took out a delicate colorful bottle and inspected the price. He winced inwardly. _This_ was the one Yukko-san wanted?

Man that mattress was going to cost him a lot.

Fai had not told Kurogane about his plan yet, but since it was quite obvious that the pair were going to be staying for a while he thought it was only sensible that they get a second mattress. That's what the liquor was for. When had discussed this earlier with Yukko she said the only way he would have enough to pay for the spare she had downstairs would be to pay her $100 cash, some of his chocolate fondant, and a few bottles of liquor. He was planning on using his discount at the bar until he remembered that he didn't have another shift there for a week. And he REALLY didn't want to continue to sleep on the floor.

He grabbed that and another bottle, a Fat Bastard that smelled amazing. Taking them back to the checkout he found Kurogane patting his foot anxiously.

"There you are!" he growled. "What took you so long? We still have to pay."

"Geez Kurgs, you're such a worry wart." Fai said, winking as he handed the bottles over to the cashier. Kurogane chose not to reply when he noticed the bottles. The blonde watch with curiosity as his dark eyebrows shot up for a second then furrowed together in thought.

_What was Kurogane thinking? Does he think im an alcoholic?_

He decided now was the best time to tell him, Fai didn't want Kurogane to have bad opinions about him.

"For Yukko." He said simply and those piercing red eyes shot his way making Fai's heartbeat race. What was it about those eyes that made him jump; the intensity, the color? Maybe it was the fact that it was possible the owner of those spheres was able to see through him, see right through his lies, to see the very core of Fai's existence that he forgot he had.

"The witch makes you do her shopping too?"

Fai did not like the name Kurogane had adopted for his friend and landowner, but he couldn't blame him. The first time the blonde had ever introduced the two she was drunk and quite flirtatious, even though she had her two young nieces Maru and Moro right next to her. When Kurogane found out he was playing her he rejected and she got quite rude, even though she was just playing around to begin with to get him to buy something. The crimson eyed man wanted desperately to call her the 'b' word but when he tried Fai nudged him, reminding him of the children in the room, and changed his word to witch.

"No, this is part of a payment." Fai said as he handed over the required amount. Shit $200? Man he was screwed.

"For what?"

"A mattress for Syaoran."

Kurogane froze where he was, almost dropping the bags he had just picked up. He took one look at the blonde and Fai just smiled a small smile back. At first he looked shocked, than angry, than embarrassed, then something else. Without another word he picked up the bags and the bottles of water and waited for Fai to pick up his share.

Fai let out the breath he was holding and his smile grew. Kurogane's silence meant he had accepted his proposal that they would be staying for a while longer.

Why did that make him feel so happy?

So together they walked in silence with their packages, but it was impossible for Fai to notice the little grin, and the look of hope Kurogane had shining across his face as they made their way home.

* * *

It was almost two when Fai even risked leaving the apartment. Syaoran had stayed up late to finish some math homework and required the blonde's help. They worked from midnight onward and didn't finish till a quarter to two. However, Fai didn't mind spending a little more time with the teen. Since it was obvious they would be living together for the next little while it only made sense that they get to know each other better. He just wished they didn't have to bond over math homework. Fai did learn a few things himself though: one, that he really didn't know what he was doing and wasn't too much of a help to Syaoran, and two, that Syaoran really didn't mind he didn't know. The brown haired youth actually seemed to be learning more by telling Fai how certain things didn't work one way or another in arithmetic. But now that they were done Fai did what a good guardian should and told him to go to bed.

The excuse was that the kid had school and Fai had work to do in the morning, the real reason was the kid had school and Fai had work to do right now.

It was not the kind of work the blue eyed man looked forward to.

It took Fai forever to sneak out of his apartment. He was finding this a lot harder to accomplish since Kurogane had moved in. Now that they had the new mattress they had given it to Syaoran and Kurogane to share, however they had expected it to be bigger then it was. Unlike what Yukko had promised, it was a single built for a child and they were very lucky that Syaoran liked to sleep curled up in a ball or else it wouldn't have fit even him.

This meant they still needed a bed for Kurogane. When they found this out Fai instantly insisted on sleeping on the floor but the fighter's direct and immediate response was that he was not going to let him sleep on the floor and if he really cared that much he'd do it.

It was the first time Fai saw some sort of sympathetic emotion emerge from Kurogane. He seemed to notice, like he always did, the things that Fai fought so hard to keep hidden. Even though it was not said out loud, the crimson eyed man could tell something had happened to him and chose not to question him and instead gave him another option.

Lets just say the first time they did it was awkward. (A/N YOU PERVERTS! XD) Sleeping together on one bed was definitely a first for both of them, at least with each other. There had been times when Sakura and Fai had to share blankets and body heat in the winter and Fai guessed the same sort of situation happened with Kurogane, but it was different. Now they were two grown adult men sleeping together.

And neither of them knew that the other secretly had a growing attraction for them.

But now that they were sharing a bed, it was becoming increasingly difficult to get out of the bed in the middle of the night without being questioned. Thankfully for Fai though, Kurogane had had a pretty rough day at the construction site; he came home swearing that he was going to kill his boss and probably all of his co-workers and complaining to Fai with stories about how shitty his day was. Fai didn't blame him though, apparently someone at the site tried to steal his wallet from his locker and Kurogane caught him, threatened to beat the shit out of him and his boss heard him and almost fired him. However, the attempt thievery went unnoticed and Kurogane had stomped out of work fuming. After this dramatic conclusion to a day, the tired martial artist retired to his bed before the kids even got home from school. It also helped that Fai never got in bed to begin with, cause as tired as Kurogane was, he was the lightest sleeper the blonde had ever heard of.

Yet somehow, he managed to make it out with only a few sleepy mutters and a roll over which Fai was grateful for. But now that he had escaped he wanted nothing more then to go back and return home to a nice warm bed and an understanding family.

He did not want to do this. No. Not one bit.

Was it fair to say that he had no choice?

Because to be honest he did.

But does that mean that making that choice is any easier? No, not when your choice decides whether you can support the ones you care about or not.

That's what Fai tried to keep in mind as he wandered through the streets, far past what he would call an appropriate bed time. As his eyes wandered around him, searching for his prey (or was it his predator?) he kept his posture easy, his muscles relaxed, trying not to think about what he was about to instigate. He had to stop himself from shaking, although it was quite hard when he was wearing such little clothing. For underneath his leather jacket he wasn't wearing a shirt. Although he was wearing pants his top was almost completely bare besides his shoulders. Fai would not be surprised if he would catch cold before the week was out, but it was much easier to attract that sort of attention when you had skin showing.

Currently he was in west Loshin, just a few blocks down from his apartment.

It was amazing how just a short distance away, his daughter and two housemates were sleeping soundly when he was out preparing himself for a round of heavy, undesired sex.

The chain of events that made him go up at this ridiculous hour seemed too confusing for Fai to sort out at the time. Had it been what had happened earlier today at the school? _It probably was,_ Fai thought to himself. The truth was he almost felt like crying when it happened…an emotion that had been foreign to him for some time.

By the time he stopped he had almost forgotten where he was and where he wanted to go. He felt exhausted, tired of everything. He didn't want to continue going so he did what he set out to and found a suitable spot to start his parade. Now his walking changed and his shaking ceased.

There was a swing to his hips now as he moved farther into the darkest corners of a dark city. One foot in front of the other and his manner became less uneasy, and more seductress like.

He passed many places on his walk, and as he got closer and closer to The Cat's Scratch he realized just how busy it was tonight.

The Cat's Scratch was one of those places that used to be just a simple bar someone had formed in the front area of a run down business warehouse. Until the economy went bad, its main industry was probably, well selling beer. Now though, in the back end of the warehouse and the entire basement was a dirtier place.

He had made a promise. Fai had told himself that he would never get mixed up in this business ever again. It was a lot easier to get customers when you actually go into the club, he new that, but he didn't want to go back.

He didn't think he could stand the shame.

Besides, he was well known on this end of town for his exotic looks, he might get lucky. So when he got to the front of the bar he decided to continue his parade up and down the sidewalk. He was only a block away when his first customer of the night approached him.

"Hey," he heard a slightly slurred voice speak from the darkness. "Haven't seen you here for a while honey. You didn't get tired of me did you?"

Fai didn't need to turn around to know who it was, but knew it was impolite to ignore your customers. Turning to face him he looked the man up and down, trying to remember his name; when you knew your customers on a more physical than social basis it was easier to remember physical attributes then names. This one he liked to call yellow tooth, the easiest thing to describe him by since his gums and teeth were yellow, and his lower lip saggy.

"Tired of you? Never," he let out one of his magical laughs, inwardly screaming. Being the liar he was it was easy to hide how he was feeling on the outside, but down underneath his skin he was puking and shouting and crying all at the same time. He put his hands on his hips, making his jacket fall slightly off of his small frame, exposing completely naked flesh. "If you really wanted me, you would have found me by now."

"Oh believe me," the man reached an arm out to grab him by his waist. They were real close now, it was easy to smell the revolting scent of aged beer and slime that covered this person. "I've been wanting." Fai knew how he was supposed to act. He was supposed to respond, but he didn't. He hadn't done this in a while with good reason, and once again he was too afraid to remember how he was supposed to attract customers. Oh dear, this guys hands were going a little too low there.

To say the least Fai was so not ready to do this.

"So come on sweet cheeks. How much you selling for?"

Fai bit his lip, wondering how much he could get out of this guy. This was going to be a long night he was sure, but he wanted it to be as quick and painless as possible. "How much you looking for?" was his return question.

A slap on the ass was what he got in response. Like usual Fai felt offended by that and wanted to slap back but knew if he wanted the money he'd have to suck it up and deal with it.

_All of it? He wanted all of it?_ Fai should have been expecting that, but now he was getting cold feet.

_Oh god,_ he prayed silently to whatever higher being there was out there_. I __**don't want**__ to do this! _

But he had no choice, so he gave a little seductive smile and spoke; blinking back tears while he did it.

"One hundred." He said and heard the man whine.

"You trying to rob me? You only charged me fifty last time!"

"You weren't asking for much last time." Fai reminded him, although he desperately wanted to forget himself. "And if it's too much than I can just take my business elsewhere." He made a move to get out of the man's sweaty arms and was met by a firm grab of his arm and someone's hips pushing against his own.

"One hundred it is." He whispered into his ear and Fai felt bile rise at the back of his throat. Trying to choke it back he gave another smile.

"Where shall we go then? The warehouse?" He was met with another slap, a firm grasp on his arm and another press of groins. Okay, outside it was. Man this guy was impatient!

So Fai led the way. Looking around he noticed that there was an alley separating a warehouse and some smaller, separate storage sheds. That seemed to be where the man wanted to go because he grabbed his arm and nodded at the shed. Fai walked down the alley, his heart thumping as he heard the sounds of passing cars and noisy pedestrians fade away due to the concrete structures in between them. The farther he got away from human company, the worse the stench of the back roads got. That odor of putrefying wood and decomposing animal corpses infiltrated his senses, and momentarily made him forget his fear as his feet dragged through the garbage that raccoons had taken from torn open garbage bags.

He heard the dripping sounds of water escaping from the ease drops, and the hum of a heater as it warmed a building.

The man opened the door and waited for Fai to go in. But the second the door was open the blonde had saw it.

There in the centre of the room was a torn, moth infested mattress, surrounded by three fully grown men.

Turning on his heels he tried to run away but the one who had led him here tried to push him back.

"NO!" Fai yelled pushing his arms aside, tears in his eyes as he forced his way past him, hearing the shouts of the guys behind him. But he was not fast enough and yellow tooth grabbed him by the waist and he fell back into his arms with a strangled gasp. He was pushed up against the wall as yellow tooth's friends crowded around.

"Daaaang," one said, smiling a wide grin, his scraggly red beard scratching against Fai's face as he moved close enough to inspect him. "You weren't joking when you said you only pick the best."

Fai was too scared to even think of responding, now the four had him surrounded and his head spun this way and that, searching for any means of escape. He was regretting ever leaving the apartment now, leaving Kurogane and his small, comfy futon. He tried to keep the image of something happy in his head as they closed in on him. But those hands, those filthy hands were everywhere. Exploring places Fai didn't want to be touched, at least not by them. Up his jacket a hairy one traveled and it didn't take long before his jacket was discarded beside him. His heart beating crazily in his temples and his mind screaming for him to shout for help he was pushed up against the wall and felt someone unzip his jeans. He closed his eyes; he refused to see these people spoil him. His entire being shaked as Fai tried to focus his thoughts on the ones he cared about, not these things who were desecrating his body. Sakura and Syaoran, he was doing this for them. They needed this. They needed him. He couldn't let them down.

Even as he thought this Fai heard himself cry out as he felt someone reach down behind his belt and another curse at how they couldn't get the zipper unzipped.

He felt one of the hands slip a few twenties in his back pocket and another grunt in his ear. "Just shut up and take the money."

Those words silenced Fai for the most part, until the only sound emerging from his throat was the sound of his sobs.

No. No, this had to stop. He had to stop them!

"Let go of me," he croaked, eyes wide as he tried to scream. "LET GO OF ME!"

"Shut the hell up!" Yellow tooth snarled and finally they succeeded in unclothing him.

This couldn't be happening. Why did he do this? Why did he come back when he promised himself he never would? Why wasn't he just refusing them?

Because he needed the money. He knew that.

Sakura needed the money. She needed him, and Syaoran needed this too. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to focus on them as much as possible.

He would not let them down!

Suddenly Fai felt something smack his head and he was pushed suddenly and brutally to the ground, feeling the weight of someone else's form on top of his. What surprised him was not the pain, but the sounds that accompanied the pain.

"Hey what's your-?"

"WHAT THE HELL!"

The body was thrown off of him and the sound of the violent pounding of flesh reached Fai's ears. His eyes were filled with water and he blinked them away as he tried to pick himself us, still hearing the sound of what seemed to be a brutal attack on his 'customers'. When he put his arms underneath him to push his body up though he felt his whole body shake as a scream, a beastly, inhuman roar was heard vibrating along the walls of the buildings beside him and he found himself trying to pull himself away from the vicious fight being fought behind him.

There was an angry shout, loud enough that Fai was wondering if the earth underneath his overturned body was shaking. The sounds of flesh meeting flesh shook him up and he tried to close his ears from the horrid sound effects accompanying the pain the men were sure to be feeling.

There was some sort of fight happening, that the blonde knew for sure, between the four men and this new comer. Why? Had he come to save him?

Fai groaned as he tuned out the beating of fists behind him and the vile attack happening out of his view. The hammering of his bruised forehead from contact with the concrete was all he could focus on for the longest time and by the time he had closed his eyes long enough for the pain to subside the battle was half over. He heard the sound of footsteps as people ran away and one voice bravely speak up as he was retreating.

"We want our money back!"

Instantly there was another snarl heard and the sound of the guy who spoke screaming in terror as he was attacked.

He closed his eyes in terror, refusing to look back. What was this? He'd heard of murderers stalking back alley's looking for prey, but there were four of them here, not including himself. Usually they never attacked groups! Fai realized that despite his fear he had to get out of here, for either whoever had saved him from those men had killed them by the sounds of it, and was probably coming for him next. He tried to convince himself that he heard the sound of people running away, and for a second thought that the person really was here to rescue him and not to kill him.

But as he heard the sound of quick, heavy footsteps approaching him he could not deny the fear he felt.

It was only when he opened his eyes and saw that familiar outline of spiky hair that he guessed who his rescuer was.

…_No way._

"What the hell do you think you are doing? Do you want to get yourself fucking killed?"

Fai didn't know what to say. He was still in utter shock.

What the hell was Kurogane doing here?

"Come on get up. You're not hurt are you?"

"K…Kuro-sama?" Now that he blinked back the tears that laid at the corners of his eyes Fai saw him more clearly. Yes, it was him. His face was converted into one of absolute fury and concern, his face red from the physical exertion he put in the brutality of his fight and his knuckles bleeding.

He was panting as well, most likely from anger than anything. They stood staring at each other for a while, one in total disbelief, the other trying desperately to calm his rage so he wouldn't go after those men and kill them.

It wasn't until Fai heard the wind whistle on the roofs above him that he remembered he was naked. A shaking hand over his mouth he looked down at the ground, feeling around for his pants and jacket. Now Kurogane noticed it as well and looked around to where he had pushed the man off of Fai, and of course his pants and his jacket lay discarded next to that spot.

Quickly he retrieved the clothes and turned away as the blonde covered himself up. His heart pounding in his chest from what just happened he couldn't stop himself for letting a tear escape but desperately shook his head to get rid of it, Kuro could not see him like that.

When he had finished dressing he suddenly felt weak, exhausted. He leaned back against the wall he was sitting next to and took a few deep breaths to settle his mind and unclench his sweaty hands from his jeans.

"Blondie?" Kurogane said, his voice dry from the shouting he did but full of emotion as he stood overtop of him. Those red eyes looked down at him as he offered his hand out to him, much to Fai's surprise. But the shock of what just happened slowly melted away and something itched him at the back of his throat. He closed his eyes almost as if he was falling asleep and urged himself to calm down. His bottom jaw was shaking as his breaths came out labored.

"Hey you okay? Come on idiot speak to me!" Now he sounded more than worried and Kurogane bent down so he they were at eye level. That's when Fai's eyes burst open and he slowly pushed himself up on one knee. He openly rejected the man's outstretched hand and picked himself up. When his eyes met Kurogane's, the color of smoldering flames, he saw him tense noticeably.

"What are you doing here?" Fai said slowly, almost coldly. All the sadness and tears had been forced back in the two seconds Kurogane had spoke and now he was just an empty shell.

"I should be asking you that." Kurogane replied after a moment of hesitation as he got up off his knees. Fai never tore his eyes away.

"Are you following me? Cause honestly if you are I swear-"

"Of course I followed you! Do you think I go wandering around in dark alleys at obscure hours of the night for fun?"

"I wouldn't be surprised." He rolled his eyes, no trace of humor in his body language. "You seem pretty unpredictable Kurgs."

"Unpredictable? That's the only thing you can say to a guy who just saved your ass? Talk about ungrateful." Kurogane snorted and crossed his arms in front of him.

"Oh calm down Kurogane it was no big deal." That was _definitely_ a lie.

"No big deal? You almost got fucking raped! Do you think this is funny, like its some sort of joke?!"

"Don't you dare joke about that!" Fai said angrily, lips pulling back over his teeth in a snarl. His opponent seemed surprised at this sudden lash of fury but Fai's mind was moving too fast to care. It was taking all he could not to scream to the heavens just how much he knew being raped wasn't fun. But no, once again he had to keep silent, keep it inside. Kurogane could never know. Never. "Why were you following me?" he said, trying to change the subject so he wouldn't say something regretful.

"What kind of idiot leaves the house in the middle of the night, I remember thinking to myself. Than I remembered," he looked him with those piercing red eyes of his, "This was you we were talking about."

Hardy Har Har, Kuro-puppy. Very funny.

"What were you doing?" Kurogane questioned him intently.

"What do you think I was doing?" Fai did not like the tone Kuro-puppy was using with him, that accusing manner didn't deserve to be used on him.

_Okay maybe it does. _Fai thought sourly. He kept that thought to himself.

Kurogane paused hesitantly and Fai kept his eyes glued to his tanned forehead, refusing to remain eye to eye for long.

"You left in complete darkness." He began, "You didn't mention anything about having a shift at the bar. You seemed troubled when you were at home, and when the kids came in you seemed to tense up a bit. I thought, well fuck I thought you were abandoning them."

_ABANDONING THEM?!_

Fai NEVER wanted it to seem like he was going to do that! He couldn't even fathom himself doing that!

"Of course I was not abandoning them!"

"Then what the hell were you doing?"

"Since when has it been any of your business?"

"Why do you always fucking answer my questions with questions?"

"Since you started becoming an obsessive asshole!" Whoa, did he just swear?

Kurogane stopped, eyes illuminated in darkness. Without another word he started walking in the opposite direction. No! Fai didn't want to let him leave! He didn't mean it! Wait, why was Kurogane so upset? Wow did he ever feel like a shithole.

"Wait, Kuro-sama wait!"

Kurogane didn't stop.

"Im sorry im acting like an ass but I'm just a little shaken. I know you just followed because you were worried what I did would affect the kids, and I'm thankful!" Fai didn't know where that came from, but as he saw the dark haired man pause he realized that he was speaking the truth. Who was he to think Kurogane had bad intentions after he just saved him? Although the fighter didn't turn around, Fai saw his muscles relax and knew he was calming down.

"You're not acting like an ass." He corrected the blonde. "You are an ass."

Fai gave a small, pitiful smile as he zipped up his jacket. "Ya…I'm sorry Kuro-riki, I should be thanking you."

"Thanks isn't needed, I did that without you asking me and I would have done it without you're thanks as well." Fai's eyes widened when he heard that, something pulling at his heart.

_Does Kuro-puppy really care that much_…?

"…Fai?" Now he turned around and looked at him, a serious expression creasing his features. "What were you doing? You don't have to tell me but…" He desperately wanted to. He really did. Fai hated keeping this secret locked inside, it was eating away at him.

But Kurogane would hate him. He'd take Syaoran away and would refuse to ever see Fai again. Kurogane was the only person Fai had left as a friend…and possibly something more…

He could not risk it. He could not lose him.

"Let's just go back." He said quietly walking towards his friend, eyes down cast. Kurogane nodded, excepting his silence even though it killed him to be left in the dark, and waited for the blue eyed man to catch up.

As Fai brushed past him lightly he heard the flutter and crumple of paper and eyes wide he spun around to retrieve it, realizing its significance. Kurogane turned around, wondering what he was doing and froze where he stood when he heard the crunch as his foot hit the green pieces of paper. Fai's heart thumped uncontrollably as Kurogane looked down at the $100 worth of twenties lying on the ground. A look of realization shone across his face as his mouth slid deeper into a frown. Those red eyes stared blinking, and then slowly moved up to look at the shaking blonde. Fai had never seen him so sad.

"…Fai?"

* * *

…Why?_ That's the only thing Fai kept thinking as he lay there, cold and naked on his bed. His body throbbed; his heart ached, pulsing at a rate that could hardly be perceived as normal. Every breath he breathed in drained him of all of his strength and lying there weakly, desperately fighting to stay awake was only because Fai was scared Ashura would come back and rape him again._

_He was still face down, but Ashura had removed the blade that was keeping him from moving. He heard footsteps from across the room and knew his ex best friend was back from putting the bloodied sheets in the washer. Tears were cascading down at an alarming rate and he felt his blood soaking his mattress. Why he was still alive was a mystery to him; his shoulder wound was deep and understandably he didn't really feel like living right now. He didn't know how long he had lain there, bleeding and waiting for Ashura to come back. There was no reason for him to count. This was all going to end soon. It had to. He couldn't stand it if Ashura didn't. _

_Had he done something wrong? Was being gay a crime? If so than why did Ashura do this? They had been friends since freshmen year…what happened? _

Why this? Why rape me? _Fai said to himself, trying to stop himself from crying. _

_It had hurt, a lot. Fai was still feeling the pain, that agonizing thumping that seemed to never disappear, like an echo going on and on…and on…_

_Ashura was going to kill him now. He had to. Fai didn't want to go on now. Not when he…not when that thing had been inside of him. Even though he had not left his room he felt terribly lost. His blue eyes were shaking as he felt a cut on his forehead sting and eventually numb his senses._

Is it over? Am I going…am I dying? Please….please God I want to die. _Fai had never found himself religious before and he scorned people who always spoke about 'God' only in their hour of need…but now he understood why. _

I want to die. I want to die. I want to die! Please just let me die!

_As he felt himself gasping for breathe because of the sobs that were now racking his body he felt a warm hand slide across his back. He gave in a sharp intake of breath and his eyes shot open. Feeling that hand slowly trace his shoulder blades made him want to scream. He shivered, squinting his eyes shut as fingertips brushed against his neck momentarily before disappearing completely. Fai wanted to puke._

……Is he gone?

_As Fai thought this his shaking body moved and his eyes stared intently around the room. He stared at the form that was bent down next to his bed, wet sponge in hand, as he tried to get rid of the blood that has splattered onto the carpet. _

"_Wow Fai," Ashura said laughing slightly, never taking his dark eyes off of his task. "Didn't mean to go that hard. Never knew you could be so tender." _

_It was so hard to feel anger when all you could focus on was the hurt. But he wanted to hate him, he wanted to push himself up and kill his friend with the knife he had just used to restrain him. How could he talk like that? How could he joke around like they did a week ago when they were still friends when he had just RAPED him? Fai wanted to scream. He wanted to shout. But he couldn't, his yells and pleas from before had drained all of his will to fight back, and his voice was raw from the reoccurring motion of that task. All his scratchy throat would let him issue was a small, pitiful whimper. _

_Hearing his whimper the tall man stopped and turned to face him, pausing wiping his sweaty hands on his white t-shirt. _

"_What's with the face Fai?" he said pulling the white cloth back down before standing up and moving to sit down next to him on the bed, running a long hand softly through Fai's blond , blood soaked locks. "You seemed to be enjoying it at one point."_

_No. That's not true. It can't be true, he didn't enjoy that. He just got fucking forced to have sex by his…best friend…_

_The look the blond man sent his way would have broken any heart for sure. But not Ashura. As he untangled his hand from his hair he cupped Fai's bruised, tears streaked face in the palm of his hand and used his thumb to wipe away the blood he had spilt. _

"_I think its time you got in the shower. Don't you? We wouldn't want you're brother thinking someone stabbed you on purpose, do we?" _

_Fai couldn't even respond. His mouth opened ever so slightly and a low, strangled cry escaped as he bit down on his lip. Turning his face away from those piercing eyes, shutting his eyes away from that horrid smile, he felt Ashura move his hair out of his eyes. He was letting him live._

_HE WASN'T GOING TO KILL HIM! _

…But why…?

…_Why?_

* * *

Fai rushed to shove the money back in his pocket, throwing his body in front of it so it was out of Kurogane's view.

Kurogane couldn't believe this. His heart was racing, his blood was pumping, his eyes were opened so wide he felt his face was about to tear in two.

"They paid you?" He said, or tried to say at least. Anyone who was listening would realize he was too shocked to really say anything without stumbling. His words came out in a low, scratchy rumble, unlike his usual clear bass tone.

Fai did not respond but got up and started walking. Kurogane shot out a hand just in time to grab the back of his shirt before the man got past him.

He felt the fabric clenched in his fingers freeze as Fai's body tensed but by then the fighter didn't give a fuck whether he was making him uncomfortable or not.

"You…accepted?" his voice came out calmer now although it was just as quite as before. It couldn't be true. Not Fai. He had only known him for a week and a half, but already he could tell the idiot wouldn't be so stupid as to sell himself off like that. But then why…?

The blonde turned around and Kurogane felt his heart thump wildly. There were tears in his eyes.

"Kuro…Kuro-sama. Please don't tell Sakura…" Fai said his shoulders shaking and his blue eyes watering.

Instantly he felt terrible. Had he made him cry? He took one look at those pleading eyes and knew he was at least partially correct.

_Why…?_

"Why?" that's all he could manage to muster out.

"I can't…she can't know Kuro-sama. She can't!" Fai was begging now, his hand clung desperately to his shirt and as he shook his head furiously, his blond hair wisped against Kurogane's chest. Kuro-sama? Where did that one come from? It didn't actually deform his name like his other nicknames did.

"No. Why did you accept?" This was way too hard for him to contemplate. Fai? Doing this? THIS of all things? What if Sakura knew? What would she think of her guardian being a prostitute?

"It's just…it's just I…"

There were tears in his eyes by now and Kurogane suddenly felt uneasy. Had he really just caused blondie to cry? He didn't mean to, for despite all of his threats about murdering him he never actually wanted to hurt this man that he dared to call comrade. What was that? Were those sparkles on his cheeks? Made by that one simple word, that "should be easy to answer" thought spoken aloud? The million dollar question, why, had irked him so much he was crying? Kurogane never thought that emotion possible of Fai. He always was the person smiling, the first to crack a joke, the guy most likely to be voted "Most happy" in their high school yearbook. Or at least, that's what he appeared to be. Now Kurogane was seeing the sadness he knew the blonde was always hiding.

For once, Fai was showing something he had been trying so desperately to hide: that he wasn't as strong as he tried to seem.

Kurogane was right.

If he was right…then why wasn't he happy about it?

His arms were twitching and he put a steady hand on the frail man's trembling shoulder. At this sudden movement Fai looked up at him strangely and detangled his hand from Kurogane's shirt, moving so he was now an arms length away. He didn't however, push Kurogane's hand away.

Where was this coming from? The tender side Kurogane always locked away in a titanium, encased safe sealed with a ten ton bolt? Usually he only let a little bit of that part of him leak out when the kid needed him. But for him to be touching a man whom he'd only known for a week and a half, practically a stranger, without it being a mistake or without the intention of beating the crap out of him was unnatural. Unheard of. Maybe it was because he was so curious he displayed this rare show of affection. But to everyone who wasn't Kurogane it was obvious that he was concerned, worried, even sad for his friend.

Maybe it was because something the frail man needed right now, was for someone to show that they cared. Because that small motion was all Fai needed to continue what he was trying so desperately to say.

"Sakura…she, she forgot to take her medicine today." He began blinking back those chilling extracts he refused to continue to let fall. "So I went to her school, the people in the office sent me straight up to her class to give it to her." Fai laughed a surprisingly warm laugh considering he was in such a sad, sorry state. "They thought I was her mother. Im not surprised it has happened before. I do look rather feminine."

No shit Sherlock. But Kurogane knew he was trying to change the subject so he quirked up a thick eyebrow, showing just how amused he was, and any trace of laughter disappeared from Fai's face.

Good. Cause this was DEFINETLY not something to be joking about.

Kurogane wanted the truth, and he wanted it now.

Fai's gaze tore away from the intensity of the glowering man's stare and Kurogane contemplated forcing him to look back. But he didn't, he knew he didn't have the right to force him into anything. The blonde's blue eyes shifted constantly around him as he muttered, his lips barely moving as his face filled with shame. Once again he was reminded of a kid stealing a cookie from a cookie jar; him and Syaoran seemed very fond of that face.

He only wished his problem was as simple as that.

"Syaoran and her both had English that period I guess cause they were both sitting with a group of kids, opening 'Romeo and Juliet' when I came in…Do you know what I saw Kurogane?" Whoa. Kurogane? He had NEVER heard him call him that! His voice was laced with bitterness, with shame; with sadness…it was almost too much for the dark haired man. He wasn't used to this from Fai.

Oh well. At least for once it was the truth.

"I saw a boy with rips in his jeans as big as his fist in a class filled with boys wearing expensive slacks. I saw a girl wearing a short sleeved shirt with holes, not because it was in style, but because that was one of the only shirts she had, one her guardian had bought for her in the seventh grade! The seventh!"

That was the closest thing Kurogane had ever come to hearing Fai shout. His blue eyes shot up bravely to meet Kurogane's not caring that once again tears were leaking past his barrier. He struck an outstretched hand against his heaving chest as he spoke his next words.

"Those were children who were living under _my_ roof," He struck himself again to emphasize his point. His whole body was shaking and he looked like he was about to puke. "Children who were supposed to be under _my_ care! I couldn't help but thinking I wasn't trying hard enough, that I should be finding some other way to get them the necessities they deserved. I couldn't stop myself from believing that I was…letting them down…"Now his voice had lost all power, lowering back down to a mutter. Fai's shoulders slumped and his hair brushed against his nose as he looked down to the dusty pavement. "So…I did this. It wasn't going to hurt too much, I've had to do this before just not…" he paused, "not in a while…I got scared. When I saw them I just…snapped. I was terrified, so I started shouting. And that's where you showed up." He looked up shyly at that moment, a small smile on his face.

Kurogane wanted to kill him.

So no one could blame him for doing what happened next. A flash of anger, as intense as the reality of their situation, cracked down upon him, a bolt of lightning striking a tree, as he struck his friend on his petite little head.

The force of the blow didn't send him flying back, but it wasn't one of Kurogane's lighter punches. He couldn't afford to let it be: he had to make sure this got through that imbecile's thick skull.

To say the least Fai looked very shocked. Despite all of his threats Kurogane had never actually hit him before. Well. There's a first for everything.

"That's what I punch people out for!" Kurogane said angrily, feeling his crimson orbs burning holes into his friend's ice blue ones. "They may be living in your home, but as long as I'm living there in it too, they are partially MY RESPONSIBILITY as well! Why didn't you ask me? I could have worked something out. I could have fucking HELPED YOU get some money!! Instead I find you going around trying to get yourself fucking raped!"

"Rape implies that sex was forced on you." Fai muttered bitterly. "I was paid. I instigate it."

"Rape means that you had sex when you didn't want to." Kurogane retorted. "As far as im concerned, your cries for someone to save you meant that you sure as hell didn't want it." Once again his arm struck out and he grasped Fai's arm firmly. "Why didn't you ask me?"

The blonde blinked once, as If somewhat confused. What wasn't his question clear enough?

"I-I,"

_Damn, he's stuttering again. Am I scaring him?_

"I was going to but… when you got home from the site today you were upset. You'd had a bad day; I didn't want to worry you!"

_Fuck. Why the hell do I have to always fucking scare people away? _Suddenly Kurogane was wishing he had just hid his displeasure that afternoon. If he had Fai, his Fai, would never have thought of doing this. His voice was laced with bitterness and anger when Kurogane spoke.

"And you think sneaking out in the middle of the night to go sell off yourself to some jackass looking to take advantage of a desperate idiot isn't going to fucking worry me?!" The fighter suddenly felt like slapping him again, but didn't want to hurt him. Why did he have to be so damn stubborn?

"Why the hell should you care," Fai snapped back, his anger rising quickly. "You don't know my past. You don't know me!"

"Maybe I know you a little better than you think I do."

"Like hell you do!" By now Fai had torn his arm out of the fighter's grasp. Stalking out of the alley he cast a long, dark shadow as his front faced the glaring lights and sounds of the city. In quick strides he walked, the echoes of his footfalls louder than a shrill scream piercing the sky of a quiet country night.

"Fai. Fai listen to me!" Kurogane said rushing to stop him. He couldn't let him leave, not like this. The blonde was still mad at him, and Kurogane was worried to find that he did not want that. Half a heartbeat after the fighter spoke and Fai seemed to come to a sudden realization. He stopped moving and waited. Kurogane did not stop following until they were once again a meter apart. God knows he wanted to get closer; he didn't want Fai to leave when there was so much left for him to say. But he was worried that if he did approach him anymore, he would be freaked and bolt.

Only when the dark haired man had stopped did Fai make a sound.

"What was that?" Kurogane damned his hearing for failing him at that precise moment.

"Say it again." He muttered, tilting his head ever-so-slightly over his shoulder so his words could be heard better. Those blue eyes refused to remake eye contact. "My name."

"Fai," Kurogane said awkwardly. When had he let that one slip? Now he moved, one step at a time, starting out slow than increasing in speed as the distance shortened. "Don't be an idiot. Don't be afraid to have to depend on someone else for once in your life. Syaoran and Sakura…" he was only a hands width away now, so close he could smell the vanilla shampoo Fai had washed with. "Whether you like it or not are BOTH of our responsibilities. If we have let them down, we've done it together. Don't make it worse by doing this again. Think about it this way. What if Sakura was doing this? How would you feel if you knew you were the cause of a 15 year old being a prostitute?" He seemed to hit a nerve there. Fai winced noticeably and spun around to face him.

"There's a difference between her and me!"

"How?"

"She's just a child! I'm not! I can take care of myself and I WILL take care of her!"

Kurogane didn't want to say it, but at that moment Fai looked so vulnerable, so terrified, that he would easily have mistaken him for a child as well.

"Don't keep insisting you have to pay the price alone you stupid teme. Like I said, whether you like it or you don't we are stuck in this shit together. If you get hurt so do the kids." Kurogane almost slipped up (_AGAIN!_) and said 'we'. Saying 'we' would imply that he too, as well as their housemates, cared for Fai. More importantly that HE cared for Fai. He was soooo not ready to admit that.

Kurogane hoped Fai wouldn't catch on.

Fai lifted a hand to stifle his giggles, leave it to Blondie to somehow manage to laugh in such a serious predicament. "See Kuro-puppy? I always knew you were a softie."

"Blondie," He warned, "Don't go ruining a tender moment with your stupid puppy shit."

He went silent again and Kurogane instantly regretted what he said. Slowly Fai's hands crept up from where they were clenched beside him and he shoved them deep in his pockets. Blue eyes paused momentarily on his shoes before Kurogane forced Fai to look at him.

"Don't start crying again." He mumbled as he put a hand on his shoulder. That action finally seemed to give Fai the strength to look through his eyes, into the emotion staring behind them.

"You must think even less of me now, huh Kuro-chu?"

By then Kurogane had let go, it was getting a little more awkward now that the focus was put on him. When he heard Fai's words though he rolled his eyes and moved so he was shoulder to shoulder with his comrade. He placed a clenched fist on top of his blond, bouncy hair and tried to say his words with the most careless tone he possibly could.

"I won't hold back if you make me hit you again."

He saw Fai smile and let out the breath he was holding. The fighter would never tell a soul, but he really enjoyed those rare smiles the blond gave him, the ones he always sent his way when he though Kurogane wasn't looking. They seemed different then those full blown, over exaggerated smiles that lacked any source of raw feeling. The one Fai was gifting him with now was small, but seemed to awaken emotions that had so far been unacknowledged within the fighter. He felt his stomach do back flips, his body ached, his mind wandered.

Damn, he wasn't supposed to be looking at the 20 year old and thinking of how his eyes reminded him of a clear blue sky on a summer's day. Kurogane was NOT supposed to be imagining what it would be like if Fai sent one of those loving smiles that he gave to Sakura his way. He wasn't supposed to be feeling these things. He didn't want to.

But he was, and he liked it.

"Thanks puppy. I guess I'll take your thought into account."

"There you go again! Stop deforming my name!"

"Whatever you say Kurgy-wurgy, but I think it's getting a little cold out here to debate over a name that quite obviously suits you so well." Fai said prancing towards the entrance of the alley and back onto the busy street.

Kurogane snuffled as he followed. "Does not."

"Does to."

"Does not!"

"Does to!"

"Fuck my life. I cant believe I'm doing this with you!" he groaned shutting his ears off of the sound of Fai's sing song voice by putting his large hands over his head.

Fai was very smart and had retreated to a safe distance (approximately 200 m and even that was risky) on the sidewalk before stopping. "Come on puppy!" He said patting his knees and making mock kissy noises. "Come on boy! Let's go home and get you a nice big bone to- CHEW ON!!!" Now he was running, Kurogane galloping behind shouting at the top of his lungs:

"I'LL BITE YOU IN HALF YOU FUCKING JACKASS!"

"Come on wan-wan! That's a boy!"

"I'M NOT A DOG!"

"Yes you are!"

"NO I'M NOT!"

"Yes you are!"

"**NO IM NOT**!"

One thing was known for sure, they were madly falling in love with each other.

* * *

**Oh yes Kurogane. Yes you are. *smiles wickedly* Mooharhar!**

**Eh em. Yeah XD**

**I ALMOST wrote a kiss scene back there, just a little teaser for what is sure to come ahead ;)**

**So thanks for all who R&R or just R. ^ ^ you guys are amazing!**

**Signed,**

**Destiny's Daughter.**

**P.S. Hyuu if you love Fai!!**

**Hyuu Hyuu~!**


	8. It was Only a Kiss

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* * *

Chapter Eight: It was only a Kiss

As Sakura stood there, watching her friend unpack his clothing from his backpack shamefully, she couldn't help but bite on the tips of her hair. It was a habit she got into recently she found out; maybe it was because she was glad to have her hair back since her first few doses of medicine took away all her hair from her. Sakura was thankful that her body started to resist against the effects of the drug now, so instead of every time she got the injection her hair would be lost, it only happened once every little while. But right now she wasn't even slightly considering what damage this would do to her hair, all she could think of was the boy in front of her.

Syaoran stood, moving so slow it was as if he was afraid of moving. He carefully folded each of the worn, hole filled articles before placing them back in their proper shelves. A deep, agonizing awkwardness had swept through the room the moment Sakura had entered, but that didn't stop her. She had sat down on the bed and watched, not saying a word as the boy tried to calm himself from the rashness of his actions he had been caught in. Worst of all, he refused to look at her.

She could not believe he fought with Kurogane.

She could not believe he had skipped school to buy drugs, AGAIN!

...She could not believe Syaoran had almost run away...

Fai and Kurogane did not know that she knew until that day, but truth be told, it was impossible for her NOT to know. Now that they had school together they saw each other constantly in the hallways, at lunch, and in the English class they shared.

She had seen the times he randomly rushed out of the room, claiming the need for a bathroom, and she saw him walk in the completely opposite direction, out to where their school called 'Smoker's Corner". It was at the corner of the parking lot, the farthest place from the office and from any nearby teachers. Sakura didn't know why they even let a place like that stay thriving with people! Especially when half of them were under aged! But the name explained it all, and at the moment she saw Syaoran go there and light a joint, she knew her friends darkest secret.

It surprised, and irked her greatly. Did Kurogane-san know? What about Fai? Was this a constant problem? Was he a druggie, or an addict?

Was there a difference between the two?

Also, did Syaoran have a choice in this? Was something wrong with him? Obviously so, since they had both heard enough of the school boards 'Say no to Drugs!' conferences to know that they did absolutely nothing good to the human body.

What was the most disturbing though was the first time she walked home alone, to find Syaoran out stone cold, in a pile of his vomit in the apartment. Even now she shuddered, thinking about the horrid thoughts and scenarios that had gone through her head at the time. That day he had skipped the second half of the school and gone home to use the fresh supply of inhalants supplied by a friend of his. When she finally got him settled down, and awake, she insisted on getting him to a hospital but Syaoran refused. That face, the depressed, tear splattered gaze that pleaded with her, screamed for her to not tell Kurogane, to just keep this between the two of them. At first she thought that meant Kurogane didn't know, but when he proceeded to stutter about how he couldn't let his guardian down again, she realized he did, and that this was an ever reoccurring problem.

That's probably what scared her the most.

In the few weeks they had known each other Syaoran had grown rather protective of her. Their relationship had grown and bloomed, making Sakura realize that Syaoran really was a capable, dependable guy she could trust. He was someone she could talk to when Fai wasn't there, finally there was someone her own age who she could relate to; after all they had discussed many times the common factors of their separate abandonments. Those brown eyes held so much emotion, so much understanding, that when he listened to her problems, she felt that he wasn't just listening, he was actually taking it in, he was FEELING her worry, her discouragement…even though she had never told him about her condition.

But now that he was hurting, the boy she thought was her support, she was unsure of what to do. She knew it was selfish of her to act like this; it was obvious he needed someone right now and she should not be thinking about herself.

To say the least, it was more drama than Sakura could take.

Today was another day that Syaoran had skipped out on halfway through; she knew that because he wasn't at English. She however did not say anything to Fai when he came to their school at the end of the day. He had asked her if she wanted to go shopping with him after school for groceries, and even invited Syaoran along as well to which he kindly declined, so it did not surprise the blonde when he wasn't there. Fai could tell something was wrong with her, whether it was his 'mommy senses' (as he liked to call them) or her body language that gave her away Sakura could never tell.

He had asked multiple times, but still she never voiced her worries. She wanted to keep the relationship between her and Syaoran strong, and she didn't want to wreck it by telling her guardian her friend's secret.

That was, until she and him were walking home and she saw a sight that would haunt her forever.

It was the sound she heard first, the reverberations coming from the open window a few stories above her. That was what struck her as odd, none of the windows in their apartment opened unless they were broken or forced open with great force. Most of the time they didn't bother but…no she was sure it was Kurogane's voice she was hearing shouting out multiple swear words, and Syaoran's angry retort of hurtful comments.

Her heart skipped a beat and she stopped where she stood in front of the dumpsters beside her. Fai stopped beside her and he too noticed the sounds of the voices of their angry companions. He put a firm hand on her shoulder and told her that he would take the groceries inside, and that she should call Yuzu-chan and see if she could stay for a little bit. It was obvious he did not want her seeing this.

She could not reply, she was already running up the rusty metal stairs that led to their apartment. She ran and kept on running, past the colorful graffiti, away from the sounds of honking horns and yowling cats, and into the room that at the moment she could not refer to as home.

While she was running she did not notice that Fai had stopped and she went crashing into the room by herself, uncaring of the noise she was making.

She met them right in the middle of a shouting match. Sakura had never seen them so angry…their voices, their faces, even the air seemed to be filled with an undecipherable amount of rage, leaving a stench that clouded the mind and left the senses useless, numbed in the heat of the moment. She knew they were quite out of it since they didn't even flinch when she opened the door. Their bodies flailing as they flung hurtful, stinging words at each other; Sakura was reminded of a fight she had once seen between two dogs, barking as loud as they could at each other, both foaming at the mouth as they gnashed their teeth and tried to make themselves as big as possible, both sides hoping that with their voices alone they could overpower the other and subdue them in dominance.

Her heart thudded, her hands shook, her mouth opened and closed as she tried to speak, to say something that would get them to stop. Her small chest heaving she struggled to find something to say, and when an opening appeared Sakura's voice emerged as the smallest of squeaks. Suddenly she felt weak, her throat felt dry, emerald eyes stung with the tears she was sure were forming and she threw herself verbally, right into the middle of the fray, shouting as loud as she could (which wasn't very) for them to stop.

"Get back here!" Kurogane growled when Syaoran tried to retreat into his room. One of his strong arms reached out and grasped the teens firmly in his tightened fist, so tight that Syaoran even winced. This move shocked Sakura and she let out a little screech, her hands covering her mouth. At this sound both men turned to look and Syaoran froze when he saw the girl standing there, nearly in tears staring at the chaos unveiling itself before her.

His mouth opened as if he was about to say something, and Kurogane tried to blink back his anger in an instant. Lucky for both of them, these actions were not going to be continuing for long.

Sakura gasped as she felt someone brush past her, a light hand brushing her neckline and pushing her back, placing his body in the line of fire.

Hands still over her mouth she watched Fai's stiff form glare the two down.

"Enough!" he said loudly, far louder than Sakura knew he could. At this Syaoran winced again and the dark haired fighter slowly released his hold on the kid trying to keep the regret from showing on his face. Fai was staring threateningly at Kurogane, daring him to go further. He moved as close as he dared to the pair, who now had realized what was happening, let the eerie, clinging silence hang around in the air, not once daring to break it.

Sakura felt like the room was full with water, she had to push her way through the noiseless disease, hearing Fai speak quietly with the two of them, telling Kurogane to go cool off outside for a bit. Breaths coming out in low wheezes, his fists stayed clenched at his side, and for the first time, she was actually afraid of the man she had grown to call friend.

"Kuro-sama," Fai said finally, when Kurogane still didn't move. Surprisingly she saw him reach out a hand and touch his wrist laying soft, cold flesh against his own heated. At this contact he seemed to snap out of it and shaking his hand of warningly he stomped past Fai and Sakura and out the door without a word to anyone.

The loud bang of the door send ripples of bad vibes careening into Sakura's tired, over emotional body. But before she could even think of something to say that would break the silence, Syaoran let out an aggravated shout, smashed his fist against the wall (denting it thoroughly), and slammed his own bedroom door as he retreated within it.

There was nothing left for Sakura to do but sit down. At the time her head would not stop spinning and she starting rambling nonsense as Fai tried to calm her down. However there was nothing she could do, as Fai warned her that going into their room to calm him down would prove fruitless. So together they walked downstairs to get the groceries Sakura had dropped on the pavement when she ran inside. But things only got worse, for as she bent down to pick up a can of peas that had rolled out of its bag she heard a loud thud. She winced and looked in the direction of the sound and froze, arm half outstretched.

Sakura gasped, eyes growing wide and shaking. She looked up at the open window directly above her, which she recognized to be the one in her bedroom, then down at the object in front of her.

"What is it Sakura?" Fai had asked as he rounded the corner. She could not find it in her to respond, all she could do was pick up the backpack she just saw Syaoran toss out the window and try to contain her tears. As Fai looked over her shoulder and saw what she did, she heard him take in a quick breath. In the end they both ended up walking upstairs together, Sakura nearly in tears as Fai carried his backpack back upstairs, realizing what it implied. They agreed that Fai would go in and have a talk with him, and that Sakura should just sit in the living room and let them have their privacy.

For what it meant, Fai had taken it very well, for no shouting came from the room she and Syaoran shared after her guardian had entered. The only thing there was for Sakura to do while she waited was sit on the couch and watch the television, though all her hearing was focused on the paper thin walls, hoping to catch a indication of what they were saying. Why, why would Syaoran try and run away? What had Kurogane caught him doing that caused them to fight? As she waited she noticed a faint smell that was lingering in the cloth covering the futon. She put her nose down to the fabric and wrinkled her nose at the disgustingly thick smell that wafted through her nostrils. So that's what it was. Kurogane had caught him smoking something.

Dang, he was in big trouble.

They were in there for what seemed like hours before Fai emerged. And when he did, the only thing he could say was that Syaoran wanted to be left alone.

She tried to protest, unsure if he was bluffing or not but Fai just gave her that stern look of his and sent her to do her chores. The dishes, the vacuuming, the dusting, the bathroom, the apartment was spotless by the time Sakura was done. However, keeping her hands busy did nothing to trouble her worried mind. For a while she just sat on the couch, staring at the ceiling as the scents of sweet Cajun chicken stir-fry Fai was preparing for dinner floated through the room and indulged her senses. Truth was, she was very hungry, and the worry for her friend did not stop her appetite, but as she sat at the table with the smell of that delicious chicken and sweet, saucy noodles, she found herself unable to pick up her fork.

Kurogane had still not returned from wherever he had left to.

"…Fai-san?" she said quietly as he placed a glass of juice in front of her. "Is Kurogane-san gonna be okay?"

At first he did not respond, and that smile he had been wearing since he left the room dampered ever so slightly. For an instant he let down his guard but immediately put it back up, ruffling her hair with his cold hands. "Don't worry Sakura-chan, im sure Big Puppy is fine. Just letting off some steam." She did not show her enthusiasm for this. Who knew how he'd let off his 'steam'? Fai noticed she still seemed concerned and sat down across from her, saying he would go out and check for him, after she had eaten everything on her plate. Hearing this she perked up, gobbling up her food as fast as she could. Inwardly she was happy that Fai was leaving, not only so she could find out if Kurogane was okay, but if her guardian was gone, she could go see Syaoran without getting scolded!

True to his word Fai left to find Kurogane and Sakura nearly tripped over her own feet as she ran to the bedroom door. But as she found herself, fist raised up to her face, ready to knock, she doubted herself. Did Syaoran even want to talk to her? Had he already gone to bed? Without knocking she opened the door up a crack to see if her second thought was true. The lights were off and even though the window was now closed, it felt unnaturally cold in their room. She could not see him at all.

Worried he had somehow left she quickly rushed into the room before she realized he was lying on his pallet on the floor, arms folded behind his head and eyes closed.

He started awake, hearing the squeaking sound her feet made on the floor. She meeped, covering her mouth with her hands as she held her breath.

"Sorry Syaoran-kun!" she stuttered out before she tried to run out the door.

"Sakura?" Darn, she had been caught.

"S-Sorry I woke you." She muttered, hoping in the darkness he wouldn't see her blushing face.

"Don't be." He responded, his voice quieter than usual. "It's your room too." A silence past between the pair.

_Uh oh, I forgot everything I wanted to say! _

The boy sat up awkwardly, stretching his neck slightly. Sakura moved to sit on her bed, unsure of how to start. But when she opened her mouth to speak Syaoran jumped up and picked up the bag he had tried to escape with before, unzipping it and unpacking, hoping she hadn't noticed it was there. Hearing his anxious rustling disturbed her, although she did not know why. She pulled her knees up too her chest as if they could provide some sort of universal protection, tears collapsing out of the corners of her eyes like a leaky sink.

"Syaoran, I'm sorry." She blurted out suddenly before burying her face in the pink folds of her skirt. He turned around to face her now, and when he spoke his voice was uncertain.

"Why are you apologizing?"

"I'm sorry if we did something wrong. If, if we did something to make you think you had to run away…" No, this was all coming out wrong, why was she stuttering?

_Oh no. _She thought when she felt her eyes beginning to tear. _Why am I crying? I told myself I wouldn't cry! H-he can't see me crying!_

Suddenly he froze before he marched up to her. "Sakura are you crying?" he said, kneeling down in front of her.

"No!" she said abruptly turning away from him. He was always so strong for her. Why did she have to show just how weak she could be when he needed her? He did not respond, and Sakura took these few moments of silence to her advantage to try and calm herself.

"Did, I cause those?" He said, voice so low she could barely hear it. She did not reply. As quickly as he approached her, he backed off and she suddenly found herself missing the warmness of his body next to hers.

"Sakura…" Syaoran began, leaning against the piece of wall beside her. She refused to look at him, unwilling to let him see the tears he had caused. He sighed, letting his body slide down the wall and hit the floor with a loud thunk. Only then did Sakura look, out of worry more than anything. Instantly she saw what Syaoran had been trying to show her from the start. His head collapsed between his knees, it was impossible to see his face. But she saw the heaving motion of his shoulders and though she knew he was probably not crying, he was visibly, dreadfully distressed. Placing her feet delicately on the floor, she scotched herself over so that she was sitting in front of him. Wiping away the tears with the back of her hand, she leaned closer so she could hear his voice, which was emerging from his throat as if it were lined with sandpaper.

"I'm sorry it's just that…no one. Not one of you could understand how fucking hard this is." Sakura tried not to wince as he swore, but right then his language was only a slight hindrance compared to the larger picture.

There was no way she could really respond to that; the truth was is that she didn't know how difficult getting over an addiction could be. Sakura had never had any have any friends who she knew were doing drugs, and even if they were she was pretty positive they wouldn't want to quit.

She sat down next to him, allowing him to push his body ever so slightly next to hers. "I am sorry I made you cry. I'm just so tired of having to be strong…you know? It's just so easier to give in. It's so much easier to run."

"Just because it's easy doesn't mean its right Syaoran-kun." She whispered, lacing her hand in his. He didn't even notice this small action.

"I know that. I just wish it was. I…I don't want to let them all down."

"I know Syaoran. I know what you mean."

"How Sakura? How could you know what I mean?" His tone wasn't meant to be hurtful, she knew that, but the look he sent her way, probed her mind, and dared her to speak up against his words.

So she told him. Everything. From the beginning of her finding out about the disease, to the treatment she was already going through. Her words stung him like a thousand whips; she could see it in his dark brown eyes. They opened wide, his mouth opening in shock but no words being able to come out. He was speechless and she, she was crying.

"So Syaoran-kun, do you still think I don't understand you? Even a little bit."

Once again he squeezed her hand and she felt tears well up in her eyes, and she knew she had forgiven him a long time ago.

They sat there like this for a while, the boy holding her hands as they both cried silently. It was only when Sakura started to nod off that she spoke. "Syaoran-kun? Are you awake still?"

Sakura waited for Syaoran to respond and thought for a moment her had chosen not to answer her. But as she looked down at the mop of brown hair resting on her shoulder, she also saw his close eyelids and how they slowly fluttered in slumber, two butterflies, wings stiff with drying tears.

So she let him rest, too worried about waking him to even think about moving. Sakura let go of the breath she did not know she had been holding and closed her eyes slowly. This had been one long day. She did not believe at first that what had happened was real. Her friends had always managed to fool her before; maybe she had just dreamed this. But no, deep down she knew it was real.

They had tried hard to hide it to be honest; they did a very good job of trying to keep these things from her. Maybe that's why she took it so hard. Sakura would rather have them come up and tell her about situations like this, rather than her finding out for herself.

They would never know how frustrating it was, to have to sit back and pretend you know nothing when in fact, you knew exactly what was happening, exactly why it was happening, and even sometimes, way to fix it. She was the one who had to hide it, to pretend that everything was okay with her. At first she didn't understand why she was accepting this role, but now she realized that she HAD to be the happy one. Not because it was expected of her, but because it wasn't expected of her.

She needed to smile, because smiling was the only thing she could do. There was no other way she could help them, because every time that smile dampered from her face, they would fear the worst.

And then they would remember how close she comes every day to dying.

Sakura did not want her friends to remember her because of her death, she wanted them to remember her because of her life.

It was so hard for them to understand this.

She sighed, unconsciously letting her hand go up to rest on the boy's head, pulling him close. Sakura fell into an uneasy sleep then, but silently she was content.

Because she knew the boy in her arms was staying for good.

* * *

_As Fai walked down the steps he couldn't help but wince as he heard the smacking of fist meeting plastic. He didn't need further prompting to continue his search for Kurogane; he was really mad with Syaoran. _

_He was really surprised when he came home and the first thing he saw was the two of them fighting, and Sakura standing there in a shocked silence. The poor thing: she looked so scared she couldn't speak. Fai knew he had done the right thing when he sent Kurogane outside. He saw the rage fueling his actions, and he could clearly see the firm grasp he had on Syaoran's arm._

_Fai could also tell that Kurogane would rather slice his own arm off than hurt his __adopted son. _

_Yukko had told him upstairs that Kurogane had stomped downstairs about an hour ago and she's had a constant headache since, begging with him to go get him to stop shaking her shop, people were thinking it was an earthquake! This statement made Fai prepare for the worst, so when he went into the room downstairs, which Yukko let Kurogane use as a fitness room (for a price of course) he was not surprised at what he saw._

_There he was, drenched in his own salty sweat, shimmering like he was covered in glitter as his muscles moved in a repetitive, quick, violent motion. His face was convoluted, molded permanently into a mask of ultimate fury, of furious betrayal, of unforgiving guilt. __He sighed, alerting the fighter of his presence. Kurogane heard this noise and abruptly stopped his punches, his hair sticking to his face from sweat._

"_What the fuck do you want?" he grunted slowly before going back into his mantra of punches and quick jabs. That poor punching bag. _

"_I just-" he paused as Kurogane let out a yell, hitting the bag again. "I wanted to make sure you are okay!" Fai blurted out in a rush._

_Kurogane did not stop. That was his response to the blonde's statement. But Fai could not leave, he didn't like to see Kurogane angry, not like this._

_He was starting to realize that in fact, the fighter had two kinds of angry. There was the kind of annoyed he gets when Fai teased him too much, than there was the kind that gave him a terrifying gaze, a bloodthirsty look in his eyes, like the time he had fought off those men in the alley; it was that kind he was seeing right now._

_It terrified him._

"_Kurogane-san!" he said suddenly, moving forward to put a hand on his shoulder. Kurogane spun around. "What?" he snarled, only to get pushed out of the way by a stuttering Fai, who had not noticed the rebound of Kurogane's force on the bag that was sending it back in their direction. Fai panted as he pushed himself off of the fighter who laid in stun shock at the man who had just saved him from a good thwack in the back. His friend was less slow to react, he had not noticed that the bag was about to hit him before, and he did not like the fact that Fai had just saved him; in his mind that meant that he had something to use against him._

"_We seem to have a knack for saving each other Kuro-chan." Fai said cheerfully as he fell back on his backside, resting his elbows on his knees. "Maybe we should get into the business of saving people!"_

"_Not so sure how well you'd do in that department." He said snorting. Fai resented that._

"_What ch'ya mean Kurgy?"_

"_Not that I doubt your bravery Fluorite, but it just doesn't really seem like your thing." _

_A tint of color rose to his cheeks. A praise of his bravery and a blow to the gut in one hit, touché Kurogane._

"_What did you want to be when you were a kid Kuro-buro?"_

_At first he just sat there dazzled and confused, caught somewhere between absolute rage from his previous fight, and recovering from the physical exertion he just committed. "You first." He retorted, suprised at how quickly the topic was changing._

"_No fair! I asked you first. Fine." He huffed, crossing his arms over his chest, his lips pouting out and than quickly breaking out into smile. "Guess!"_

"_Guess?" _

"_Yah Guess!"_

"_Ummm…" Kurogane put a hand to his head. "Uh, a…horseback rider?"_

"_Nope!"_

"_A doctor?"_

"_Nudda."_

"_A ballerina!"_

"_Oh come on Kuro-princess I think we both know you would make the best looking ballerina out of the two of us." He burst out laughing as the image came into his head. Fai could see Kurogane's fists clenched at his sides in annoyance and he decided not to press him further. "A cook." He said simply and he looked surprised._

"_A cook huh?" Fai nodded. _

"_I could see you doing that." He said, shaking his head, still not over the ballerina concept. _

"_What about you?" Fai responded. _

_Kurogane shrugged, taking off the gloves he was wearing and placing them beside him as he leaned back, revealing tanned muscles through his white shirt. "A fireman." _

_Fai had to stop himself from blushing, thoughts of Kurogane posing in a sexy Fireman calendar filling his head. "Like the save cats from trees type of fireman?" he said trying to shake his head clear of that. Although it was becoming increasingly difficult when Kurogane kept flexing like that. _

"_No, saving people from burning buildings type of Fireman." At that Fai felt his heart soar and drop at the same time. He was so brave! He really was, willingly wanting to risk his life to save that of another person. At this thought he got another burst of energy and he jumped out of his sitting position._

"_Show me!" Fai said, standing up as he grabbed the gloves Kurogane had discarded on the ground. _

"_Uh…show you what?" Kurogane said as he stood up. _

"_How to fight!" he said cheerfully. "Or at least how to punch properly! Do you stand like this how about this?" He was bouncing really fast now._

"_No, no!" Kurogane said quickly, grabbing his fist as he was about to punch at lightning speed. "You're just a beginner buddy, speed comes with practice. Start with sets of three. Don't go hitting things at random." _

"_Sorry," Fai said, grinning like a monkey. He wasn't really all that regretful; it got Kurogane to touch him didn't it? _

_The tall man just rolled his eyes. "Sets of three remember?" _

"_Okay."_

"_Here," he said putting his hands around his shoulders and grabbing his forearms to point his fists in the right direction. Oh god, what was that heat rushing up to his face? Fai sincerely hoped he wasn't on fire because the second pale skin met tanned; he was burning with the pulsing heat of molten lava. At first they stayed this way, than slowly Kurogane moved. As his calloused hands let Fai's in the right direction, together they hit the bag slowly keeping the rhythm the two of them had established. He could not help but notice how his red eyes seemed to relax at this steady motion, how his muscles flexed as they shimmered in the light from dried sweat. Under his breath he could hear him muttering: "One, two, three. One, two, three." Almost like a mantra, like the counting of a dance, like a prayer. The swing of the bag, gently moving as their fists pushed ever so slightly out of placed, made the strangest little creak, accompying it like it was music to a day. _

_For a moment he remembered that fighting was something that came naturally to Kurogane. He realized just how hard he had practiced to become what he was today. Fai also remembered that Kurogane knew he had this power, the power to control others, to beat them to a pulp if he chose, yet he miraculously understood how to contain his strength. He had learned how to stop himself from hurting others, when he knew things could be easier for him if he did._

_Suddenly, Fai was immensely proud. _

_Why, did he want to be his so badly? _

_This abrupt thought made Fai tense and Kurogane, being so close, could not help but notice the tightness of his muscles when he did._

"_Whats wrong?" he said in a low voice, unknowing putting his mouth closer towards Fai's ear. Fai chose to breathe in at that moment, and had to stop himself from sighing as he smelt him, the smell of the soap he always used that Fai could always recognize as his. Feeling that warm air on the skin of his ear made him realize just how close he was. It would be so easy for him to turn around and kiss him. He wanted to so badly. _

_So he could not understand why his body reacted the way it did and slowly untangled itself from Kurogane's arms. _

"_Come on," he said in a quiet voice, sparing his friend a small smile. "Let's go back inside okay? You reek! Oh," he looked down and grasped the man's hand; sure enough pieces of flesh were missing from his knuckles. The stupid Baka! "You're bleeding. Here let's ask Yukko for some bandages!" _

_Snorting Kurogane and even gave him a grin for a quarter of a second. Fai led the way not letting go of his hand, so that he couldn't see the unusual redness of his blushing face. Yet as they walked back up the stairs to Yuuko's shop, he couldn't help but hope that the strange look on Kurogane's face was disappointment and not just a change of lighting. _

* * *

…Its not that Kurogane _couldn't_ cook…he had made dozens of meals before! But as he boiled the water on the stove he couldn't help but worry if he was doing this right. Was it enough? Was it okay the only vegetables in this were in the sauce? He wasn't used to feeding four mouths, would it be enough?

Usually his meals were simple and easy, although he strictly kept to his motto of NEVER buying the over processed crap that they sold in the super markets, he didn't care HOW cheap it was! Damn, it was hard enough trying to keep sugar out of the house; he never knew what he was getting into when he let Fai handle the shopping. However, Kurogane did still have a ruling say as to what was on the list, he was determined that his housemates get the proper nutrition, making sure there was always healthy foods the brats could put in their lunches for school and healthy afternoon snacks. To be honest the blonde had much the same values as him in that station, at least when it came to his daughter and Syaoran. When it came to his own health though he seemed to be disinterested.

At fist Kurogane believed this to be because he was making small changes in his eating habits so she could grow well, but than he realized that he just didn't really care about his body too much. It was almost as if he hated himself, like he thought he wasn't really worth the proper care, damn that idiot had proved himself enough times that he was willing to throw away his life in stupid, dangerous acts and jobs. Kurogane was determined to change that. He found it hard to respect a man who refused to respect himself enough to take care of his body.

Thankfully he had not caught him sneaking out in the middle of the night unless it was for one of his bar shifts, which Kurogane monitored carefully, so he knew that Fai had stopped his prostitution. At least for now.

That thought made him terribly angry and he ripped the package of noodles open with more force than required, sending a few of the thin sticks flying onto the counter. Hoping the kids, who were sitting in the living room at that time, had not noticed him quickly shoving them into the pot of water. The sounds of Syaoran's laughter and Sakura's giggles crashed into the kitchen, shaking Kurogane back into focus and shooing away his anger.

He opened a can of sauce and poured in into another pan, sparing a glance over his shoulder to look at the two doing their homework in front of the television, a practice Kurogane did not approve of enthusiastically. But when he once again turned his back to them he could not contain that little smile of his that was rarely shown to the mortal world. Laughter wasn't something he was used to hearing from the kid, and this was a relished change, considering their dark start to the week a few days ago.

Kurogane just wished he had been the one to cause his laughter…and not Sakura. That little voice at the back of his head chided him for being so selfish, but at the moment the voice was as soft and light as smoke, and like smoke it was easy to wave away. It was just that the relationship the two kids shared had strengthened unbelievingly fast, and with a snap of her fingers Kurogane had been pushed back a place. He really did not like that.

But it was impossible to hate her. Fai had told him about the condition Sakura was diagnosed with, he had been alerted as to just how easily it was for her to die, and he knew the severity of her case. Maybe it was the fact that she was dying, and yet living so happily, that alerted Kurogane of the small girl's inner strength. The child was growing on him, he hated to admit it but it was true. How could he not? Her kind heart and warm smile made it impossible to hate her, she even managed to subdue the immovable Kurogane Suwa in her nest of commrads. He could call her as naive as he wanted to, but truth was he liked her. Their relationship was forming much quicker than the one he developed with the kid. Than again, he had a feeling what friendship he did have with the girl was ruined when she saw him fighting with his adopted son. She walked in at the worst moment, when the fighter almost lost himself and grabbed Syaoran. He was not going to hurt him, hell no. He just wanted to stop him from leaving, he hated when he was mad at him.

But now...neither of them were really talking to him, although Sakura was finding him a lot easier to forgive than Syaoran was.

He knew it wasn't Sakura's fault. He knew he should have talked to Syaoran after they had gotten in that fight but, he was seriously disappointed. The kid had ten grams of meth on him. Ten! He couldn't use the old 'I was holding it for a friend' excuse on that. Still, although he could not remember the exact words he used, Kurogane knew he said some things that were out of line. If this was so, why was it so hard for him to talk to the kid about it?

Suddenly he couldn't stop the bitter thoughts from entering his mind and he sighed, smacking the wooden spoon he had been using to stir the sauce against the pan. He reached into the cupboard and took out a strainer to drain the spaghetti.

"Oi!" he called giving the strainer a last hefty toss before putting the pasta into the pan filled with sauce. "Dinner's up!"

Abruptly silent Syaoran gave a small nod and got off, turning off the telly as Sakura went to go watch the pen off her hands. Placing the pan on the table he watched as the brown eyed teen grabbed four plates and sets of cutlery to set the table with. Kurogane folded the napkins heart racing; this was his chance!

"You want a drink Sakura?" Syaoran called over his shoulder, still refusing to look at his foster dad. He heard her light response and set down a two glasses to fill them with water. He paused suddenly than, still keeping his back to Kurogane, spoke. "You as well?"

His eyes narrowed when he heard him refuse to say his name, but they maintained their back to back stature and he gruffed out a muttered 'whatever'. Syaoran shrugged and Kurogane heard him struggle as he tried to reach up on the top shelf to get the last clean glass. Turning around to help him he spun just in time to catch the startled teen as he stumbled back, grasping the cup in his hands so it did not plummet to the floor. For half a second they remained this way, Kurogane's warm hands resting on his son's shoulder as he steadied him. Than the warmth was gone as the tall man pulled himself away accepting that this touch would probably only anger the kid. Syaoran did not stop him. Kurogane turned away, walking towards the table to place down the napkins he was originally folding.

"Be careful kid." He muttered half heartedly, aggressively worried if he spoke too rashly the kid would get angry again and they'd end up fighting. At first he heard the boy whisper out a small apology but he stopped himself halfway through.

"Thanks…" Syaoran said slowly, almost unsure if he had said the words right. Kurogane's eyes grew wide and he turned around to see if he had really heard it. But the kid had already turned to the fridge, pouring three glasses of water. When Sakura came back to the table and sat down; Kurogane did not feel too angry with her anymore.

Together they sat at the table, and although Kurogane told them to go ahead and serve themselves they seemed reluctant to start without Fai. Eventually their growling stomachs gave in and they began spooning the warm noodles onto their plates. Kurogane could not blame them: it was 8:30 after all.

"Kurogane-san?" Sakura asked after a few minutes of light conversation (mostly between her and the kid) and quite forkfuls of food being put in their mouths. "Where is Fai-san?" The dark haired man, mouth still crammed with food shook his head and swallowed before he spoke.

"Guessing he's on his way here." He grunted before he put another fork between his lips. He was trying to show his indifference, Kurogane pretended he didn't care either way where Blondie was. But the truth was he was actually very interested in the 20 year old man's whereabouts. It was unlike him to be out so late. Suddenly a sinking feeling went into his stomach, a hard rock of compressed emotions as a frown stitched itself deep into Kurogane's face.

_He wasn't really out…doing that again was he?_

No, he had made sure to get it through that thick idiot's skull just how much he DID NOT fucking approve! Silently he set his fork down. Kurogane wasn't that hungry anymore. Just thinking about someone else touching Fai, sickened him…

And as much as he despised admitting it, it made him angry.

The rest of dinner passed with Sakura filling in the empty silence with tidbits of gossip and small talk. Sooner than he realized the kids were done and he sent them off into their rooms to complete their homework; they had accomplished little of that while sitting in front of the television Kurogane noticed with a snort. They complied, the whole while Syaoran complaining they had the whole weekend to do it but obliging to his adopted Father's orders.

Kurogane stared at the dishes before him, knowing he should not just let them sit there all dirty and clingy, but decided he was just too exhausted to start the labor of cleaning them. Kurogane could not remember a time when he was not exhausted. It had been like this the moment he had left his house and begun to live on his own. Sighing to himself he sprawled out on the couch and started to doze, trying to occupy his mind with thoughts other than that of the late blonde.

He found sleeping unsuccessful, only able to doze for a few hours before he was startled awake by a passing truck blarring its horn; his mind was too preoccupied with other thoughts to focus on getting a little shut eye. Honestly, he was so pissed and tired with all of the drama that had piled itself in his life. The whole reason he got into this situation now was because he was so bored with his teenaged life that he decided to put some adventure in it by performing reckless acts of felony, now all the fighter wanted was boredom, calmness, and peace of the mind and heart. Rubbing the sleep from his eyelids he got back up and stretched earnestly.

Looking at his watch he noticed it was around midnight. The kids had probably already gone to bed by now. He listened for the sounds of movement or running water, but all he observed was an odd sort of stillness in his home.

_Where the hell is Fai? _He grumbled as he gathered the dingy and stinking dishes from the table and placed them in the sink. He was just picking up the last of the dishes when he heard the creaky metal sound of their front door. Turning crimson eyes in its direction they softened when they fell upon the worn, weary face that belonged to his housemate.

"Where have you been? The kids have been worried sick." Kurogane began (refusing to admit that he himself was just, if not more than, worried as the kids) before Fai raised a finger to his lips as a silent warning, nodding towards their closed bedroom door.

"Don't wake them." He said quietly as he moved to fill the sink with water.

The man beside him just grunted as he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt squirted a few drops of blue soap in the murky water refusing to turn around and greet him properly. "Aww," he heard Fai whine. "Why aren't you talking to me?"

Kurogane felt the heat rush to his face and chose not to respond. Instead he just went ahead and started cleaning the pasta sauce of the plate with a sponge.

"Oooooh," Fai cooed him softly, not missing a beat. "Poor little Big Puppy is still being a concerned baka aren't ya?" Giggling softly he watched Kurogane's ears turn red with annoyance.

_Damn him_.

"Teme! What the hell is that supposed to mean? And don't you think I have a right to be worried? It's past midnight!"

"Sorry." Fai apologized, a small smile on his face as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I forgot I booked overtime tonight at the factory and I didn't have any time to call you on my break. Than I had to go to the bar for a few minutes so I could find out when my next shift was only to realize," he coughed slightly now as he walked to the refrigerator, "I have a shift tonight." He poured himself a glass of water.

Starting with the cups Kurogane turned an eye his way, his concern showing ever so slightly through that deep façade of his. "You up for it?"

"Of course!" he said cheerfully, downing the glass of water and prancing to the closet to get his uniform. "I just came back to get my stuff. Thanks for taking care of dinner by the way." He sent another smile his way, a real one this time, Kurogane could tell by the sparkle that was in his eyes. "I really appreciate it. Here let me help!" placing his uniform down on the back of a chair he grabbed a nearby towel to dry the cups the dark haired man was rinsing.

Kurogane shrugged, showing his indifference to him helping. "You are going to be late." He pointed out. Fai just winked at him.

Soon they developed a rhythm, a speed that never seemed to increase or decrease. Like the beat of a drum it was pulse, except this pulse contained bits of food and Dawn. They were almost halfway done when Fai suddenly paused in his work. Kurogane noticed a change in his stature, his smile was slowly fading from real to fake, and he had to restrain his growls.

_Here we go. _Fai was slipping away from him again. Was there something on his mind?

"Kuro-tan?" He began nervously and the black haired man watched as he put the plate he had started to dry back on the pile of wet dishes. Something was up. "Do you think you'd be okay if I left you and the kids for the weekend? Something has come up."

Kurogane continued washing. "You gonna be gone long?"

Fai shook his head lightly and Kurogane couldn't help but spare a glance his way. No matter how much he refused to show it he was very much interested in what was up with Fai. He hadn't let it leak through his disguise too bad, he could give him the pleasure of knowing he could lie well, but Kurogane knew that something was wrong. It was the small things he noticed, like how infrequent his pokes were getting, how slow he was to come up with a witty reply to Kurogane's statements, and when Fai stopped using his sound effects quite so often, but it was exactly those little manners that made Fai…well Fai. It was as if he was anxiously waiting for something, a day, an event maybe? Obviously it was one that he was dreading, he was getting more deppressed with each passing second.

"No, just visiting someone. My brother's in the hospital."

With that sentence he began to notice something else; the shaking of Fai's hands was not coming from over exertion and tiredness. Kurogane knew he was lying in that moment, his unease, the tone of voice he was using, even the fact that he gave him more information than he asked for was so unlike him. Usually he would make Kurogane fish for answers, but today he seemed to be just wanting to get that part of their conversation done and over with. He wanted to say something, badly. Yet despite the common obstacles they had overcome together, he knew there was still that barrier in between them, a particular impediment that could only be broken down by time and familiarity. Why couldn't time speed up?

"You okay?" Kurogane said as he saw Fai suddenly move away from him nearly dropping the plate in the process. He did not respond, worrying him endlessly when he saw the trembling, was he catching cold?

He stopped moving when he reached the window, resting his hands on the inner ledge and keeping is head lowered.

"Listen," he said, hesitating as he moved closer towards to the man, whose blue eyes were closed as his mind wandered. Kurogane stopped when he was about a meter away, he didn't want to risk getting too close. Fai reopened his eyes. "If there's anything you want to talk about, I mean Im not getting all sappy on you idiot!" his voice suddenly changed from warm to harsh, Fai let a glimpse of a smile show on his face. It was a fake one. "…just to let you know there are other options and..." Damn, why was he stuttering?

For a while he did not respond. He wasn't going to make him say it again was he? Kurogane groaned at the thought. Than he turned, ever so slowly to face him, and when he did there was a small, but true smile elevating his lips.

It did not reach his eyes.

"It's alright Kuro-chu." Fai said, all attention focused on his feet, as he shyly moved forward to brush his fingertips against Kurogane's hand. "I understand what you're trying to say." Kurogane took in a sharp intake of breath as the blonde's skin touched his. Fai looked up at him, tilting his head in response.

"Why are you so cold?" Kurogane muttered curiously, suprised at himself when his warm fingers encased Fai's freezing ones, a flame slowly melting the ice.

"Maybe I'm not so cold." Fai said the smallest of a twinkle in his eye. "Maybe you're just extremely ho-WARM!" The last word came out as a gasp as he realized what he was about to say.

Kurogane didn't really know how to respond to that. At first he blinked, a stunned silence coming over him before he waved it off as a slip of the tongue. Than Fai was moving again, shortening what little distance there was between them in an instant. His heart lurched into his throat as he felt Fai's jeans brush up against his leg. Kurogane reacted instantly and put up a hand to stop him from coming too close. His hand met Fai's stomach and pushed him back ever so gently. Still, the look in Blondie's eyes made it seem like he had been struck in the face.

"Kuro-sama?" he said quietly, a confused look going over his face as he tried to approach him once again. This time Kurogane cursed himself, wondering why he didn't stop him from coming closer, but the initial surprise wore off and he felt his cheeks pulse with heat as Fai placed a hand on his arm.

It was the pounding in his heart that made Kurogane realize how badly he was sweating.

Suddenly he couldn't resist it, keeping his hands firmly on the man's shoulders, no lower; he placed his lips on the blonde's.

His lips were soft, unlike anything Kurogane had ever felt before. Immediately all heat raced up to Fai's face and Kurogane could feel it as he placed that soft, slow kiss on him. The person underneath him seemed to be tense at first, and he wondered if he had read the signs wrong, and Fai didn't actually want this like he thought he did. But as Kurogane risked giving him another, more lustful kiss he realized it was from shock and not displeasure that made him freeze, for the man had risen a hand to his cheek in a sure manner and pulled himself closer.

The strangest, loveliest feeling spread throughout him, like a haze his mind blurred, letting only the tiniest amount of passion to slip through in his weakened state. He would later relate to those few moments he spent with his lips connected to the other man's soft pair as quick and somewhat meaningless. As of this moment, there and then, it was the most wonderful, exotic symbol of passion ever known by him.

And then it was over, the flashing lights, the smell of Fai's soap which he now recognized to be lavender, the intense warmth of pulsing lips against his own, everything ceased as the blonde pulled away from him, blushing from root to tip and somewhat dazed by the suddenness of Kurogane's raging emotions.

"Sorry Kuro, work." He croaked pushing himself away, a small smile on his face as he turned on his heels, grabbed his uniform and danced out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

Kurogane stood in a bit of a bemusing astonishment at what just happened. It happened so fast, so fast, Kurogane was unsure it had even happened. But as he stood there, a hand to his pulsating bottom lip he couldn't help but feel satisfied. It came out of him suddenly.

A wide, wolfish grin spread over his features as he burst out laughing, falling back onto the futon with a loud thunk. His red eyes dazzled with an emotion he was so not used to seeing. His heart was full, his mind was cloudy, and all he could keep thinking was of the fact that he had kissed Fai. He felt like a tween when they held hands with their first crush. Kurogane reached up a hand to the skin Fai had graced with his touch and his smile increased.

He had kissed Fai!

But then as quick as the joy and the happiness came, it was gone. His smile slowly lost all of its power, and his face was left in a low depressed frown. His eyebrows knitted together as he closed his eyes, muttering vicious oaths loudly as his happiness was replaced with an empty, somewhat angry feeling.

He had KISSED FAI!

Fai! The person he was supposedly just rooming with for a few weeks till he could support himself and the kid more! The one whom he thought was incredibly annoying and extremely foolish; he always ridiculed him, glared at him, and rolled his eyes when he said one of those god awful names. Yet at the same time…those same annoyances brought them closer. It was that that attracted him, the fact that Fai was able to so easily get under his skin made Kurogane wanted to try that much harder to push him away. He should have known better than to do that, for the more Kurogane pushed, the farther Fai seemed to be willing to pull.

It wasn't just the nicknames, it was everything! That smile, the one he'd always ridiculed to be stupid and overly cheerful, he sometimes realized weren't completely as fake as he realized. Sure there were times when it was obvious that he wasn't as happy as he appeared to be, but there always seemed to be some basis of a powerful emotion. And those eyes, god those dazzling blue stars, they always seemed to sparkle, to shine, simmering with color, life and a certain luster that held a powerful, deep sense of knowledge.

What was there not to like about him?

So he was a liar, so he was a pretender.

He was just so….

But no. It couldn't be happening. Kurogane could not be feeling that way about him. Not with him.

HE WAS A GUY!

Kurogane had never really thought of himself as being a homosexual. It wasn't really a topic that had been addressed by his peers before, but he'd thought about it. He'd been with a score of girls before, he had broken a few hearts, but he never really thought it was something he had against the girls personally, it was just…not right.

Was this? It wasn't something the crimson eyed man had ever experimented with, then again he wasn't one to play with a person's emotions either.

Immediately he wanted to take it all back. He wished he hadn't kissed him, he wished he never laid eyes on him. Kurogane wanted nothing more than to pack of his stuff right then and there and run as fast as he could.

Run back to Fai and kiss him again.

No, he wanted to go, to get away. He didn't want that. He didn't want to care.

It hurt whenever he cared, Kurogane learned this from experience. All those fucking experiences with his family that got messed up by him caring, all those idiotic times he and the kid had fought because Kurogane had cared for him…they were too much.

No. He would not do it again. He wouldn't talk to that idiotic, stupid, egotistical, overly cheerful, pathetic…

…wonderful, exciting, exotic, beautiful…

_**NO!!!!**_

_I WILL NOT THINK THAT! I WILL NOT! _

His smile was completely gone. He lay, staring at the ceiling for the longest time before he sighed and just decided to go to bed. Sitting up only to shrug off his shirt and open the futon up Kurogane lay back down with a small grunt.

_Where did that fucking come from anyway? _He thought to himself, red eyes staring intently at the ceiling as if it contained all the answers to his problems. When he had stared so long it was beginning to hurt he closed his lids, folded his hands behind his head and tried to sleep. But all he saw was those eyes, those amazing bright eyes coupled with a mesh of blond hair, pure sunlight, smiling at him, staring at him. He still felt the motion of Fai's surprisingly cold hand brushing against Kurogane's flaming face, the heat of feverish lips as a kiss was exchanged between them.

Once again he forced himself awake and growled at nothing, smacking his head.

Why did this happen to him?

Why did he have to feel?

Why the hell did he have to kiss him?

* * *

…It was only a kiss. It shouldn't have meant anything. Not to him. Not to Fai.

But it did, it meant the world.

_...Then why am I crying?_

At the moment Fai was sitting on top of the roof of his apartment building, not minding the coolness of the air or the fact that his uniform was laying dejectingly beside him. Sitting on the edge, his feet dangling hazardously off the edge he clung to the railing, not letting go for a second to wipe away the tears that were falling. It was not that he was afraid of falling, it was that he was afraid if he didn't hold on for dear life he just might accidentily on puropse let go.

Why was he crying?

This was the happiest he had felt in ages!

Maybe it was because it was all a lie.

Maybe it was because he was confused.

Maybe it was because it was the first time he had a kiss he was not paid for, or forced to give.

He was sure it was the last one. Blinking away the tears he kept his eyes focused on the busy, light filled city down at his feet. Even though it was probably the smallest apartment building in the city, he always felt incredibly tall when he sat up here. It was like he owned the world, like everything below him was there to bow to his will. For once this was a change, a change Fai relished every second of. For once he was the one in power; he could control anything and everything. Than he would look back up, and he'd see the towering structures around him, the decaying ruins surrounding that, and he would remember just how small he really was compared to the huge, desolate world around him.

Right now Fai didn't care if he was supposed to be at work. The second he had left Kurogane in the apartment he knew he would not be able to concentrate at work anyways. So for now he sat on the railing and raised his head up so his neck was stretched. His blonde hair tickling the back of his neck a cold, shivering breeze struck his back, sending the golden tresses forward to swipe at the tears inking his skin with their salt.

Why did he feel like such an idiot? Why did he feel so scared? Was it because the trial was tomorrow? Was it because he was unsure of his feelings about his roommate?

_Why do feelings have to be so complicated? Isn't romance supposed to be enjoyable? Beautiful?_ He thought sourly as he opened his eyes and tilted his chin to the sky, staring at the smog covered night sky with a hazy stare.

Fai had never known romance. He had never known love.

He had always been too scared to.

Maybe that kiss of his was a good thing. Maybe, now that Ashura was about to get convicted he would feel some closure and be able to move on with his life.

But should he really use Kurogane as an excuse? Was he really feeling these things? Or was he desperate for love, to feel? It wasn't impossible; he could just love the idea of having someone care for him in that way. But…he wanted that kiss didn't he? Did it even mean anything? Did Kurogane even want that? What if Kurogane was leading him on?

Sighing he let a new set of tears fall, unsure of their meaning or their affect they would have on his body. He shouldn't be feeling this, Fai should have known by now that he was never meant to feel actual love. But he couldn't help himself…he wanted it so bad!

But it was only a kiss…

_It was only a kiss._

* * *

**HAHA! Kurogane in a ballerina suit! XD sorry had to comment on that. Thanks for all who read and I hope you enjoyed! **

**Signed,**

**Destiny's Daughter. **


	9. The Wrath of Timmies

**Giah, sorry it took a month to update. No excuses being made :( **

**Btw, a pronociation indication: Loshin city, despite its spelling isnt actually pronouced Lo-Shin. It is actually said as Law-shin. I was just looking back over the chapters and i was like: hmmm i wonder if i am the only person who is pronouncing it like that O.o *taps chin* I MUST REMEDY!! Wow, does anyone know how to spell pronounciation? I have a felling im spelling it terribly XD**

**Thanks to: **

**IudiciumViator, Fye, Amaya-chanXTobi, LOL100, korovee, SangoSan195, yuriama sohma, SpookyMuffin13, LOL100 **_**( -- again XD),**_** Tomi Lang, TRCholic, Thief of Black Winged Hearts, walkergirl, Rahar Moonfire, AppleGirlin, InvertDouble, UnexpectedInspiration, AnimeFreak4261, Olivia Eternal Song, PhreshxxxBear, Flowing Breeze, Aika08, elany, yoshikochan, Breed 107, AND Melissa Brite. **

**For Reviewing! Thanks so much!!!!!!!!!!!! Also thanks to everyone who favored or put on story alert, I really appreciate it. Hope you like! Note: for everyone not living in canada Tim Hortons is a coffee shop, and coming from an employee of Tim Hortons let me be the first to say that it is pure evil and deserves to be stampled on by 1000 raging bulls than eaten by a cat and than stampled on by that same cat...That is all. XD **

* * *

_How do you leave the past behind when it keeps finding ways to get to your heart? -RENT_

* * *

Chapter Nine: The Wrath of Timmies

Fai set down his list on his lap. Titled _Reason's why today SUCKS, By: Fai Flowright _the list was already 17 items long. Grumbling something about retail taxes and stupid Tim Horton's cashiers he picked up his steaming paper cup filled with hot java and took a sip. He winced, how could Kuro-rin like this stuff? It tasted like dirt flavored water, not that Fai would know what that tasted like from memory. Blinking the sleep out of his eyes he took another drink and walked out of the small food store onto the busy sidewalk. It was good to be back in Celus. As bad as his most recent memories of this place had been, he still grew up here. Right now he wasn't near his house; actually he still had to catch another bus if he ever hoped to get to his parent's place in time. Currently the streets Fai was walking in was what the townspeople called "Downtown Celus" although compared to Loshin, or even Clow this could not even qualify as being a downtown.

Downtown consisted of a Tim Hortons, a few banks, random clothing boutiques, Chinese food places, and a police station. Despite this being relatively small and being in the bottom of a valley this was the busiest section in all of Celus, if that tells you anything about the community. But Fai never did have any regrets about living in this small town; the people were kind, and the neighborhood safe. It was a good place for him to grow up.

He missed it.

Fai knew he should be grateful that he was alive, but how could he possibly call this living? Surviving paycheck to paycheck with no social life besides talking to random bar guests and his family, nothing to look forward to, no college to save for to get a career, no way for him to get married…right now life didn't really seem worth living. Not that he wanted to destroy himself. He knew what life could be, and he also knew that someday life would become what he had always wished it to be, beautiful.

Fai just wished it would hurry up and become beautiful quicker. But today things would take a different tone; today that process would speed up.

Maybe that's why he was feeling so happy. Today was the trial, today he could put that last thing that was holding him back behind him.

Sitting at the bus stop he took out his list again, staring at the words and feeling horribly stupid. It was a three hour bus ride from Loshin to Celes, he was really bored. He first started it when he left his apartment at noon, none too eager to get back home so quickly. But yet, four hours later with still a half hour to go to get to his parent's place and the trial starting in two and a half hours, he was seriously late.

_Reason's why today SUCKS_

_1. Could not sleep._

_2. No coffee. _

_3. LATE!_

_4. Forgot to lock the door (Kuro-pon better keep the house in one piece!) _

_5. Missed first train_

_6. Must wait for another _

_7. While waiting for second train realized there was enough time to get some breakfast only to realize only had a few quarters on me. (Meh. Managed to buy a candy bar anyways) _

_8. Miraculously managed to get stuck behind super slow older lady in the entrance way and missed SECOND train (FML)_

_9. Finally gets on trail only to drop the candy bar seconds before the train pulled up and forgot it._

_10. Sitting in front of noisy eleven year old. Must resist temptation to KILL said child._

_11. Still no coffee._

_12. REALLY wishing I didn't forget to eat breakfast at home. (Probably wouldn't be able to keep it up anyways)_

_13. Confused about unmentionable that occurred late last night with Kurogane._

_14. Has gum in back of hair thanks to the fricken kid._

_15. Going to see Father._

_16. Going to have to see Ashura. (O.o) _

_17. Forgot gun. _

The list went on and on, Fai wondered why number fifteen wasn't at the top of the list. He had not been able to stop thinking about it for the last few days. As much as Fai was worried about having to stand in front of Ashura in the courthouse he was absolutely terrified at the idea of having to face his dad.

Most would call this unconditional idiocy; there is no reason he should be afraid of his father! It wasn't that he thought his dad would say anything, Fai was worried he wouldn't. The hurt was substantial, when he found out his dad basically wanted to disown him. What had he done wrong? He just got raped for Christ's sake, why wouldn't his dad look him in the eye? Maybe he got the hint when no one front school came to visit him in the hospital. It might have been when they returned home the words "Fag house!" was spray painted all over their lawn. Or when they heard Ashura testifying to the police he thought the sex was consensual, Fai had admitted to liking him earlier that week hadn't he?

When his dad heard that his secret was gone, and silence ensued between the two. At first Fai could not understand it; his mom always said when he and Yuui were little that no matter what they chose in life she and their dad would always love them. Was that not true anymore? His dad did have a few objections when Fai joined the school's youth group titled "Our Gay/Straight Children." But eventually let him go when Fai convinced him he was doing it because everyone deserved happiness, and homophobia was scaring teens and adults into hiding who they are, and that was not right. His dad always approved of justifying your choices, and the blue eyed man was sure to justify his actions to his father. But now it seemed that accepting Fai choice now was totally out of the question.

He heard the screech of tires and the squealing of breaks implying that the bus was here. He stood up, suitcase in one hand, coffee in the other and went inside. Two seconds on the bus and he could already smell the common smells of sweat and cheap rubber that accompanied every bus in the system. Sighing, his ever present smile still showing he sat down in a seat close to the back, since the front was occupied with a few other people. Fai noticed the stares he was getting from the people there; he even recognized a few of them. But most likely they just thought he was his twin; everyone knew Fai disappeared off the face of the earth years ago.

His mom was thrilled when she heard that Fai was going to come down to his old home before they went to the courthouse. The truth was, he didn't really have a choice in the matter, when his brother stated the idea one day when they was on the phone and his mother just happened to be in the room at the time, he was doomed to come. Yuui planned his timing perfectly, his stupid brother. But his dad…well to say the least he wasn't.

Did his father love him? Probably. Did that mean he approved? Hell no. The second he found out about Ashura's attack he came rushing to his sons aid and comfort, but when he found out that Ashura did it because he found out he was gay, he was repulsed. Of course his father did not say it at first, but he did not have to for Fai to know. His dad did not seem to be too bothered when he left; maybe that's what hurt the most.

Fai took another sip of his hot beverage and stared out the window letting his mind wander. He did not have time to tell the kids where he was going, but Kurogane knew when he was going to be coming back so they should not be too worried. It was impossible for him not to feel bad for lying to them all, as far as Kuro-chiki knew his brother was in the hospital. What else could he say? He couldn't say he was going to a trial without being questioned. No, he knew it was better this way.

He just hoped today would be the end of it.

Fai sighed, lifting his cup to his mouth and drinking, ignoring his own dislike for the beverage because of his desperate need for caffeine. He let out a startled gasp when the bus jerked to a stop, sending the lid off his cup flying and its contents covering his front. He cursed, looking down at the dress shirt he was supposed to be wearing at the trial. Yet another thing to add to his list.

Rolling those blue eyes of his he stood up and searched for some sort of thing to dry himself off. But as he stood up he caught a glimpse of the view outside his window and realized he was at his stop. Cursing with a vocabulary Kurogane would be impressed with he grabbed his bags and shuffled out of the bus and onto the entrance to the subdivision. Pausing momentarily in the bus shelter Fai set his bags back down, his heart thumping as he heard the bus drive off. His last chance of escape was gone, there was no way he could turn back not when he was this close. He was almost there, he was almost home.

He swallowed, hard. His mouth was dry; his stomach churning like someone had punched it repetitively. Fai felt like puking, all strength drained from his limbs. Looking down at his feet he suddenly felt very cowardly. He couldn't go through with this could he? What would they think of him? He hasn't seen them in ages, any of them really; Yuui was the only one who came to visit him

But he had to. So wringing out his shirt with one hand he threw his now empty coffee cup in the bin beside him. Picking up his bags he kept his head high and walked into the subdivision.

* * *

"Fai-kitty!!"

He heard his name being called and lifted his head up from where his eyes had been glued to the pavement. Fai had barely half a second before he was knocked back two feet, a pair of thin arm grasping him by the shoulders and hugging him.

"Yuui don't kill me!"

Fai pulled back to examine his brother, a bright smile covering his face. Even though they were twins, he found it amazing just how much difference there was in height. He bonked him on the head playfully, laughing as he realized he had to reach up slightly to hit him.

"Stop growing idiot! I'm supposed to be older than you and yet you STILL manage to be an inch taller than me." He dislocated his arms from his brothers and crossed them in front of his chest, turning away as he stuck out his tongue.

"Sorry shortie." Yuui said with that smile of his that always lit up the room he was in. "Dude what did you do to your hair?"

Fai reached back to finger his short blonde locks. He forgot the last time his brother saw it was a while ago, when it was a little bit past his shoulders. He shrugged his shoulders.

"Wanted a new look. Beside the ponytail was always your thing." He move his hand to the back of his brothers head and flicked the inch long tail he had. The blonde hair moved under his fingers, just like his, but as he looked up and saw his brother again he realized just how much they had both changed. For instance their height, four years ago they were the same. And their hair, they had always both had it in those little ponytails since they knew what a ponytail was. Also, the rejuvenated look on Yuui's face showed that he was pretty healthy and unlike his twin was getting the required amount of sleep even though he was in college.

"You've changed." He said in a low voice, trying to hide the sadness in his voice. Yuui noticed it anyways. He moved his hand from Fai's shoulder to put it on his cheek. "So have you."

Fai kept his eyes lowered, unable to hide the fact that he desperately was hoping for his twin to deny it. He didn't want to be different from him. He wanted to always stay the same, like they did when they were little. Fai didn't want the space in between them to grow any bigger than it already was…he just wanted his brother back.

"But…" Yuui said in a strong voice so unlike him Fai just had to look up and see if it was really him speaking. "Just because things are different, doesn't mean everything's changed."

Fai felt his heart surge and he pulled his brother in a tight hug, muttering just how much he missed him as they buried their faces into the other's shoulder. They stayed like this for a short time before Yuui pulled back.

"For instance, I was about to offer you coffee but I have a faint remembrance that you hate it." His brother said laughing as he looked down at the blonde's dress shirt. "and I see it still hates you."

"With a passion." Fai nodded in agreement, rubbing the back of his next sheepishly as they walked out of the driveway and towards the front door. "I don't suppose you have one that doesn't have a big brown stain on the front?"

"We'll get you a new one," Yuui agreeing, giggling as he pulled his brother into the house. "Im not so sure the judge is gonna be too impressed if you bring him a cappuccino."

"A soy cappuccino." Fai corrected him as he was dragged into through the doorway.

"MAAAA!!!!" Yuui said ignoring his twin's last statement. "HE'S HERE!" Fai winced as he heard the pounding of footsteps above his head as some ran across the upstairs floor and prepared himself for one of the biggest hugs of his life.

"Fai!" someone cried before diving into him, arms encircling his waist and clinging desperately. At first he was just knocked back, and he took a moment to sustain himself before slowly wrapping his arms around the petite blonde figure curling herself around him. He buried his face deep in her hair, breathing her in. She smelled of baking, of glass cleaner, of home. Fai felt a tug at his heart as she lifted her face up to look at him with those huge hazel eyes of hers. Her smile widened as she lifted a hand up to touch her son's cheek, fondling his face like he was still her six month old baby boy. His mother still had that little dimple on her left cheek when the corners of her mouth tugged up, adding to her natural beauty.

"Hey ma." He said as he hugged her back. The warmth of her closeness gave him a sudden strength, turning into pure joy as he got caught in the moment of their reunion. Laughing he swung her around ever so slightly, feeling rejuvenated just by his family's presence. He only stopped when he heard the little squawk of protest from underneath his feet.

Curiously he stopped, still holding his mom's hand he looked down at his shoes to see who had brushed up against it.

"Oh." Fai said in a soft, cooing voice as he knelt down, petting the tiny cat's fur lightly before picking the small creature up. "Who's this we got here? I thought dad was allergic to cats." he asked smiling as the adorable kitten squirmed and gnawed at his fingertips.

Yuui giggled from beside him. "That's Zorro. He and I just recently acquainted each other, didn't we?" he wiggles a finger in front of the cats face and the kitten jumped out of reach, Fai wincing as his claws dug in his shoulders. "Watch how much you scare him, its not you he's sitting on remember. Jeez he's a fricking parrot!" Fai couldn't help but chuckling as the little feline stayed perched on his shoulder, looking over his back like he was looking around a corner. The cat couldn't be more than a few months old, still tiny and its ginger fur messy and standing on end with baby fuzz.

"Ya," his mom said as she gingerly pet the cat's soft fur. "But his claws remind me of a little panther some times. You should see what he did to your father's couch; and he's only been here for a few days!" Yuui took the tiny kitten off his twin's shoulder and cradled him in his arms as their mom ushered them into the kitchen. Fai breathed in deeply as he realized what his mom was baking, mmm cookies. Some of them were already out, chocolate chip he could see. He sneaked towards the cookie tray as his mother reached up into the cupboard to get plates.

"Don't even think about it." She said from over her shoulder, not even bothering to turn as she continued to get out the cutlery. Fai froze his outstretched hand where it was and blushed like he was a young child. "You're going to wreck your appetite for dinner."

Fai just laughed lightly and moved to help his mother to set the table. "Nuh uh mister!" she said spinning out of his way and giggling as she set everything down on the table. "Not with those dirty hands your not! Wash up, go! And hurry we've had dinner ready for an hour and you know how your brother gets when he's hungry."

Covering his chuckles with his hands he retreated to the washroom and washed up. It was only when he was on his way back and passing the living room that he recognized a smell that chilled him to his bones. His dad had entered the hall, emerging from the living room bottle in hand. Fai felt his feet stop as he stared at him, suddenly loosing all happiness and courage.

Mr. Flowright stood at about 6 feet and five inches tall and built strong. His blonde hair had been pulled back behind his ears and the sides and chin of his face unshaven but his cheeks polished. His blue eyes sat behind his glasses carefully, widening when he saw his son, the one he hadn't seen in four years, approaching. At first he stopped, slightly shocked and unsure about what to say. Fai felt hope rise as he saw no anger in his eyes, despite their last conversation. But there was some resentment; he was definitely not completely forgiven. It probably had something to do with him liking men.

He smiled his fake smile at his father, his heart pounding within him as he spoke lightly. "Hey Dad," Fai was relieved to see he did not stutter. "I'm back." He didn't dare to say home yet.

At first his dad was silent, just standing in the hallway with his beer bottle halfway to his mouth before he sat it down on the side table, shoved his hands in his pocket and nodded. "Welcome back."

His heart leapt into his mouth when he heard his voice. God, how much he missed him. All he wanted to do was get close to him, to hug him like he used too. But he maintained his distance, not because he wanted to, but because he was pretty sure his dad wanted him too.

He was not forgiven yet.

"Come on people! Dinner's ready and we need to hurry if we're going to make it on time!" His mother said from the kitchen and his brother raced out to grab him and his father by the elbows and push them in. Fai complied but his father shook his youngest son off as they walked together into the kitchen. As Yuui ushered him into the room, blabbering about something to do with his new kitty Fai could not help but feel a little more at ease, a real smile lighting his eyes and his lips.

He was home.

* * *

Dinner was awkward the moment his dad sat down, it was the first time everyone had sat together for an extensive period of time for years. It was also the first time in that entire day Fai's dad was forced to be with him. Their father was a tall man, formidable and silent. Like his mom he was always smiling. Unlike his mother, his smile wasn't always real.

Fai was a model of his Father, when he first ran away the image of his father's ever constant smile stayed engraved in his mind and soon was plastered on his face. He always wanted to be like his dad, strong and dependable, but kind.

That was until they had their blow out.

His smile was plastered on right now, and behind his father's spectacles, he saw that it wasn't real.

So maybe it was a good thing that they sat down with Yuui covering one of his sides and his mom taking the other. Than again, now he was constantly being forced to look at his father who was obviously ignoring him. They had been sitting here for about five minutes like this. Random sprinkles of conversation, things like "how was your day?" and "The strangest thing happened at work yesterday!" filled the room with chatter, but to the nervous blonde it was like it was only him and his pops sitting at the table. That imaginary table of theirs was deathly silent.

"Jane dear can you pass the salt?" This his father said to his mother. It was the first he had said since he sat down. Fai looked down at the salt which was right in front of his plate and held his smile firm. His mom turned towards Fai and spoke. "Fai-chan would you hand your father the salt please?"

Fai passed it, his hand outstretched and waiting for the man in front of him to take it from him. When he finally decided to grace his son with his touch, he made it seem like the salt shaker was coated in acid and barely touched it as he placed it down beside his plate. He never used it.

"So Fai!" his mother said, setting down her cutlery as she smiled. "Yuui's been telling us how you've switched apartments. How you liking it? Is it kept well?"

Fai continued to saw through his meat, not really looking anywhere. He wondered if his mother realized he moved two years ago.

"It's good." He said as he helped himself to more gravy. "It's not in a great community but Yukko-san has it kept it in excellent condition these past few years."

"How about Sakura-chan, is she well?" This time it was his twin who spoke watching with amusement as Fai played with the peas on his plate. He always hated vegetables.

"She's good. She and Syaoran-kun are getting along greatly." Fai found it unnecessary to mention the little dispute that had happened earlier that week.

His father looked up at him through his bushy blonde brows, ice eyes tinted with a cold selfish curiosity. "Syaoran-kun? Someone else you picked up off the streets?"

There was a large clash of stainless steal against table cloth as Fai set his fork down. A silence formed quickly, his mother gazing down at her plate as she silently shoved food between her lips, and she did not speak up against her husband. Yuui's eyes were aflame, and before he could say something he would regret Fai put a hand on his brother's knee and spoke, his voice breaking the silence like a foot falling through ice.

"He's a good kid. Recently his marks have been all A's, a true honors student indeed. He's taking a few history classes as well. He seems to be interested in the early 16th century and before." His eyes were gazing straight into his father's carefully; it was taking all he could not to run from the table as fast as he could. He didn't though, there was too much at stake to run any longer. Fai could feel Yuui's worried gaze fall upon him, feeling his unease through the bond they shared. All his attention however was focused upon his sire, his smile never once slipping despite the immense anger he was feeling towards him because of his rudeness to Syaoran. But his dad just stared straight back, his smile much smaller than Fai's but just as fake.

"You're supporting two children all by yourself Fai-chan?" His mother said, obviously worried about his financial state yet interested all the same.

"Well," his eyes turned towards her, feeling the smallest little lush of heat flow up to rest on his cheekbones as he remembered the kiss he had received from his housemate just last night. He picked his utensils back up and continued to feed himself. "I'm not exactly by myself. Kuro-chi helps too." Fai took an extra long time to chew…here it comes.

"Kuro-chi?" Yuui said curiously, turning his eyes upon his twin. "Ohhh that Kurogane boy you've been talking about!" Yuui winked at him and nudged him, seeing Fai's face turning dull red. "Aww~! You've already got a nickname for him! How adorable." He turned towards him mother and giggled. "Syaoran's actually his kid; they are just living together for a bit."

_Shut up Yuui! _Obviously his other self forgot their father was present.

"Oh!" His mother said, clapping her hands together eyes bright and cheeks glowing a sharp pink as she came to a sudden realization. "Is he your boyfriend?"

A loud crash was heard and Fai turned nervously to see the glass his dad had been drinking from slammed against the table, spilling its contents across the colorful tablecloth. There was no smile on his lips now, his thin lips hidden under the scratchy golden mustache. Even now as the violent sound of the clinking of the cup against the table caused by the shaking of his father's fingers ceased, the intensity of his father's gaze seemed to have a sound of its own. Seeing the rage clearly displayed across his face made Fai sadder then anyone would ever know, he turned away and began to cut another piece of turkey and place it on his fork, the only movement being made by anyone other than his father who hid his clenched fists under the table, trying to compose himself.

"No ma," he said quietly, his smile completely erased as his eyes stayed glued to his supper. "He's not my boyfriend." Fai quickly stuffed the forkful in his mouth, hoping that no one noticed the trembling of his lower lip.

He closed his eyes, turning his head away as he heard the scratching of the wooden chair against the kitchen tile and his mother stuttering his father's name as he strode out of the kitchen and eventually out of house. The door slammed shut.

The clinking of the precious dishware they were using lingered in the room, ringing in Fai's ears as he felt his brother twine his fingers through his. When he opened his eyes again he was the only composed face surrounded in a room of chaos. His mother was pale, her delicate hands shaking as she continuously heaped mashed potatoes onto Fai's plate, as if the starch could somehow fill the hole in his heart his dad had just stuck a rock through. He took a deep breath and his blue eyes stopped their shaking, despite the anger he was feeling radiating of his twin and the sadness that was causing that terrible pounding in his chest. Moving his free hand he placed it on top of his mother's own shaking one, causing her to put the spoon back into the bowl. He looked terrible when he looked into his mother's hazel eyes and forced a smile; all she wanted was for the family to be together again…she did not want to admit that it was not a possibility anymore. At least not for all four of them.

"That's enough ma, thanks." He said smiling before he let go of both of their hands to eat some of the savory food even though all appetite had been lost. "So," the young man said, turning his smile to his brother, who looked on at him with anger for his willingness to let matters go. "How's school going for you?"

Yuui paused for a moment, blinking in astonishment before he groaned. Giving out an angry little sigh he threw his head back to rest it on the chair back and ran his hands through his long blonde hair. "You know Fai one day I'm going to have to kill you." With that he stood up and began to clean up the dishes on the table. Fai and his mother stood to do the same, piling the dishes in the sink in silence and placing the bowls still half full of food on the counter top. When that was done Fai wasted no time in walking away from the unease that grew in the room, disappearing upstairs to change his shirt and put on his tie.

He couldn't deal with this added tension. He had a trial to go to. Fai stumbled into the bathroom, the change of clothes in his arms easily being discarded across the countertop once he shut the door. Running a shaking pale hand through his blonde locks he fished around in his pocket for a pen, scribbling under the 45 jot notes he had made over the past 12 hours. Fai could not help but feel how ironic it was that his tears hit right beside the little picture he drew beside his note, smudging the edge of the ink. Suddenly his legs felt weak, and he moved slowly, leaning against the wall for support. Lifting up the back of his hand he brushed the little droplets away, knowing he could not afford to break down. Still he slid to the floor, his hand remaining glued to his face, hiding all trace of tear tracks that might have remained after those few moments of weakness. When he finally pried his fingers away, there was no evidence it had ever been there.

Just the way he liked it.

Yet even as he stood up and shoved the list in his pocket, he felt upset. How could he not? Didn't anyone love him anymore? Anyone? Of course someone did. Sakura, his mom, Yuui, they loved him. But why did it feel like his father's love was the only one that mattered at the moment? Was it because it was the only thing that was being denied to him? No, not the only one…Kurogane was being denied to him as well…

_But that is not love. That is an infatuation_. Fai reminded himself as he lifted up his shirt to get changed. He could not love Kurger burger, he would not. Before he got started on this dangerous subject again he quickly tried to think of something else. Fai had made an oath to himself he would NOT think about what happened between him and Kuro-pon until after this trial shit was done with. But now that Kurogane was off his mind he felt insecure once again, and his thoughts shifted back to his dad. He heard his mom calling from downstairs and knew it was time to go. The blonde adjusted his black tie and left his clothes lying around the washroom, unaware just how much the words he wrote on the paper were going to haunt him.

_#26. My family hates me =(_

…Could it be true?

* * *

It was raining.

Fai could hear the rain hitting the glass of his brother's car as they went along their way. His mother holding his hand in the back seat he just pretended to be asleep. His father was not with them. None of them spoke when they were driving to the courthouse. Yuui in the front seat kept looking back at him, who had his arms crossed in front of him and his eyes closed as if he was asleep. Truth was Fai was exhausted, but he kept on smiling even as he rested. He had to hope for the best, they had worked so long for this to happen. Everything had to work out.

But then again, Fai knew the statistics; they flowed through his head as fast as water in a riverbed.

Out of the hundreds of rapes that happen yearly, only 61% got reported.

If reported, there is only a 50.8% chance of an arrest being made on the rapist.

If arrested the likely hood of a prosecution is 80%.

If prosecuted, there's a 58% chance of a felony conviction being made.

If felony conviction is ordered by the court, there is a 69% chance that the rapist will actually spend time in jail.

That meant that out of the 39% reported; only 16.3% go to prison. Meaning almost 90% go free.

He tried so hard to keep these thoughts from plaguing his mind, but the pounding in his heart did not stop when Yuui's car pulled to a stop at the front of the court house. Taking a deep breath he plunged himself outwards, hoping that the hood of his jacket would hide his blonde hair so the reporters would not recognize him.

They were already waiting. News reporters were never far from a court house, even in a place like Celus. Technically the Celus court house wasn't even in Celus, but it did belong to its people. The place was huge. Huge and foreboding. As Fai took a step out of the car he made sure to keep his eyes lowered and the hood of his coat hide to stop the rain from hitting him. His life source pounded within him desperately, and with ever step he took to towards the courthouse the more his mind screamed for him to run.

This was it; this was the moment he had waited four years for. Judgment day was finally here.

…Would they believe him?

* * *

The court room was…big to say the least. It was crowded with people: the jury, the officers, the lawyers, and the detectives. Everything was so clean, so formal that it made his head spin. Sorata-san was talking to him now, explaining to him once again exactly what he was going to say when he was on the stand. But honestly, since the moment he stepped out of the car everything had been in a daze. Every step he made was uncertain, every breath he took was uneasey. And as he was told where to sit and filed into the room he barely registered what was being said.

People were still chatting when they entered the room.

Still he never spoke.

He could feel Yuui standing beside him, knowing that he was going to be called for a witness. That was one thing Fai took comfort in, at least he would not have to be alone while the trial went on. He knew his mother was in the audience now, but he found himself wanting someone else, someone who always faced danger and unease with an admirable strength. He wanted someone whom he could calm him down, not remind him of something that happened so long ago.

He wanted Kurogane.

As thoughts of the black haired fighter flew through his head he watched Sorata put down his files on his appointed stand and sort through them casually. A grave look was on his face. Fai was about to sit down when all the sudden the door he emerged from opened again.

Fai felt his heart stop.

All the sudden his emotions exploded, his anger reached its peak, his want to cry tugged at him painfully, the memories came flying back.

_Oh my god_

There he was. Almost exactly as Fai had last seen him as. His black hair was long, reaching past his shoulders, his body fit, his eyes dark and foreboding. The last time they had truly looked upon each other for a length of time was when Fai was pinned underneath him. His throat closed, collapsing like he had swallowed bricks. His heart beat slowed, so that the dull thud was syrupy and barely heard through his trembling skin.

Fai knew it was gonna happen, he was told Ashura was going to be there. How was he supposed to know that facing the past was going to be this difficult? He saw that dark head jerk, as if out of a sleep, before he looked up to stare at him emotionlessly. Fai felt a sudden splurge of fear as their eyes met. But as their eyes stayed locked, he saw something in those dark orbs, something that made his heart race…

Oh no. Fai KNEW this would happen. He knew it!

The truth was…the reason Ashura came to him that night was because he wanted to talk about what Fai had confessed to him earlier that week. And the truth was…he confessed that he loved him. The young man knew now that it was sure as hell not love, and after Ashura raped him that exact same night, he was pretty sure that he didn't care about him anymore. But this was the first time they had looked at each other in years…and the look Ashura was sending him…made Fai feel insane.

But not in a bad way.

"Come on Fai," Yuui whispered urgently, tugging on his elbow so he was forced to move from where he was standing to sit in his proper place in the benches.

"I can't do this Yuui." His voice cracked as he whispered in a terrified voice. "I can't do this."

"Fai…" His brother looked like he wanted to say more but seconds after they sat they were called to stand as the judge entered the court room. All Fai could focus on as they stood and waited for the judge to sit down was the look his rapist sent him, and how he had reacted in response. He knew how he was supposed to feel; he was supposed to be angry, sad, worried, scared that his rapist was in the same room as him, and he was all these things and more…but then why was he blushing from root to tip? Was it because this man had seen parts of him that no one else in polite society ever had? Was it because for the longest time this guy was Fai's first crush? Was it because even though it happened during a rape, Ashura was the only one who ever responded to his advances?

He did not know. But he saw Sorata-san stand to begin the prosecution and immediately regretted ever pressing charges. Ashura was going to get in trouble wasn't he? He might go to jail! No, he didn't want that. He didn't want Ashura to go!

No. That wasn't true. He wanted him to go. He wanted to never see him again!

HE HATED HIM!

…_You have got to be kidding me. _

_I still love him?_

Fai wanted to run. That could not be true. It couldn't be! All the sudden he wished he had never come to this place. But it was too late now, it was too late to leave.

The trail was beginning.

* * *

**Fai you idiot. . . . **

**Grrr sorry that took so long to update. And thanks again to everyone who keeps up with this! The next chapter is half written so hopefully i can have it up in a few weeks. I was actually planning on making this chapter longer, the next chapter and this one were originally merged, but than the text got to be around 30 pages on microsoft and and decided i wanted to write a shorter chapter for once. **

**Signed,**

**Destiny's Daughter.**


	10. It was Raining

**Everyone who hates Ashura after they read this chapter give out an angry Hyuu. . .HE IS AN ASS WIPE! **

**Thanks to: mosinger, Rebecca3, , XXXTsubasaRozXXX, LOL100, yoshikochan, elany, Olivia Eternal Song, PhreshxxxBear, Rahar Moonfire, Flowing Breeze, X-mas-snow-X, Breed 107, Monkeys.4eva, and UnexpectedInspiration.**

**You guys are epic! And thanks to everyone who faved and put on their alerts too :) Enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter Ten: It was Raining

How could he still have feelings, however small, for someone like him? It was probably because of how close they had once been. Once upon a time, Ashura had been a savior to him, lifting him up in his time of need, treating him as an equal when everyone else refused to. That was why Fai idolized him.

Fai knew he was crazy; he must have been for feeling those things towards Ashura. He was an idiot that much he knew. The small smile he was wearing now, it was apparent why it sent waves of fear crashing up and down Fai's spine.

He still remembered that smile, that smile he wore when he tore him apart.

The longer he stared at him, the easier it was to remember just how much that man had put him through. It was like a bullet to the head, a few seconds after he inwardly proclaimed his love it hit him.

He couldn't love him. He did not deserve it.

Fai could not feel love.

Surprisingly this thought comforted him.

Than again, as much as he was happy, he was sad. He still hated him, Fai knew that, but it was hard to let go of him when they had been so close for so long.

The judge looked at them now. Fai saw her lips moving, but he did not understand what she was saying, his thoughts otherwise occupied with his rapist on the other side of the room. He only snapped up to attention when he heard his name being spoken.

"In the case of Flowright vs. Ou how does the defendant plead towards the charges of physical and sexual assault?"

Fai turned his blonde head to look at Ashura's lawyer who was sitting at his table, waiting. He tried to remember the name of the defense attorney. Mr. Yasha was it? "Not guilty your honor." He said clearly.

"Very well, let the prosecution call its first witness."

Yuui gulped trying to calm his nerves. Fai turned stone still beside him as Sorata san stood up to stand in front of the desk to call his brother up.

_Here we go. _

"The prosecution calls Yuui Flowright to the stand."

Keeping his head held high he slowly stood, letting no one see his discomfort at being removed from his twin's side. As he stepped up beside the judge he felt his defense crumble, and by the time he had sat down he had all but dissolved into the shadows.

"Mr. Flowright," Sorata asked him, standing before him with his hands clasped in front of him. If he was trying not to look intimidating he was doing a terrible job. "Tell us what you witnessed at approximately midnight of June 20th 2050."

Yuui knew what he had prepared; he remembered what Sorata-san had told him to say, but the longer the question was out in the open the less he remembered. He knew he had to respond, he had to say something or Fai would lose the case. Yuui looked at his twin now for encouragement; he should have realized he would not have found confidence in him right now. The anxiety was radiating off of his beloved brother in huge, spasmodic waves, crashing into him the moment Yuui turned his eyes on him.

Looking at him now, sitting there amongst the benches of people, grasping his elbows to stop himself from shaking and keeping his face hidden under waves of golden hair made Yuui so mad he wished he had brought a gun.

He turned, directing his rage towards the man who had caused this all, now desperately wishing he had brought that gun. He wanted to shoot him. Repetitively. In multiple areas.

To say the least, Yuui did not want to shoot to kill.

"When I got home it was quiet." He began to speak, bitterness flowing out with each word as his eyes stayed glued upon that figure. Ashura was standing, as straight an still as a plank of wood. That little smile plastered across his features, a sad little smile like this was some sort of misunderstanding. Yuui would never have believed him, never. But with that smile alone he began to have doubts if the Jury would see things the same way, Ashura always seemed to have that sort of power over people. "Fai was the only one home." He continued, eyes still glued on that face. God he wanted to punch him out.

"Where were your parents?"

"Visiting family."

"So your brother was supposed to be the only one home?"

"Yes." Yuui paused now, daring himself to tear his eyes away from that evil, despicable man that ruined his brother's life to look at the tall lawyer before him. "But he wasn't."

"Did he mention the possibility of company coming over?"

"No."

"Mr. Flowright." Sorata continued and he prepared himself for the worst. "What did you see when you returned home?"

* * *

_It was hard to say whether he was hyper, or if he had drunk just a little too much at Jaton's place. He remembered there being booze, and a few drinking games, one of which he participated in, but nothing too serious. To say the least, when Yuui first entered the front hallway he was not in the right mind to speculate on why the front door was unlocked when it wasn't supposed to be. Tripping over his own feet as he kicked his shoes off he did not wonder why he was hearing the distant thump of clothes spinning in the washing machine, when it was widely known in his family that his older twin repelled technology in all forms. Yuui was too happy, too tipsy to recognize what that voice in the back of his head was trying to tell him. Shaking his blonde hair free of rain he hung his dripping coat on the railing of the staircase that led to the basement. Turning on his heels he hummed while he skipped through the hallway to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of juice, needing some substance to keep down the liquor that was sure to come up if he didn't... _

_It was as he was pouring the liquid in its proper cup that he heard a pounding set of footsteps tapping across the ceiling, making him jump out of his skin at the intensity. _

Woah, isn't it like almost midnight? What the hell is Fai doing running a marathon at this time of night? _He thought to himself curiously, taking a gulp out of the glass as he shoved the container back in the fridge. _

_Setting his drink down he continued his humming, walking to the other end of the house which contained the stairway to the upper level of their home. He was so happy he went to the party that night. Not only had he scored a date with a hottie hot hottie girl from the tennis team, he also managed to escape from the house which had been undoubtedly and utterly depressing for the last week. He was guessing it was from the vibes he was getting from Fai, but he did not know what had happened to his twin that was making him so upset._

_They were definitely not the most popular kids in the school. When they were younger they were known widely as the klutz clones and the twins of misfortune for their terrible habits of tripping over everything (even nothing) and being absolutely terrible at sports. No one also seemed to really appreciate just how close they were. But things had been looking up for them, Yuui had got on the basketball team freshman year and Fai-chan became one of Ashura-kun's best friends: Ashura Ou meaning the MASTER OF POPULARITY at Celus High. Things had been going so well for the two of them, they both seemed perfectly happy. Than something had happened, and Fai suddenly refused to talk, he didn't hang out with any of his friends at school, and walked like a ghost in his own home. Yuui didn't know what to do, that's what scared him. He did not know what was going on, or why the change in his other half was so sudden, but there was nothing he could do. Yuui sat down with Fai once, he almost succeeded in getting it out of him…but than Fai stopped himself. It was on the tip of his tongue, he could see it! But something in his brother refused the truth from coming out, and Yuui had a feeling that now it never would. His eyes dropped from his face, his mouth closed, and he turned away. But Yuui refused to end it at that, he knew he would just have to try and try again. He refused to let his brother slip away. _

_If so, he would never understand why he decided to leave that night and go to the party, instead of talking with Fai. That night was the perfect night, his parents were gone to visit some distant relative and wouldn't be back till the end of the weekend, the house was empty…he might have gotten an answer out of him! Reason told him at the time that nothing would have come from it, because Fai didn't come home straight after school; he figured he was studying in the library or something. He might have waited for him if he wasn't so fed up with searching for a response. All Yuui wanted was for his brother to want his help, to know that he could come to him when he wanted to._

_But still he left anyways, a decision he would regret for years to come._

_He trotted up the stairs with a big grin plastered across his face, unaware of what he was about to stumble upon in his room. Yuui was too happy; Jenny had agreed to go out on a date with him! This was going to be the first time he'd ever been on a date before, he was ecstatic! No one could blame him for his excitement, but he was ever so surprised when he walked onto the landing and saw through the open bedroom door that the light was off…didn't he just hear Fai up and about a few moments ago?_

"_Hey Fai-kitty!" he chirped as he walked into the room they shared, surprised at why Fai had left the door open but choosing to ignore it. "You won't believe what happened bro!" he was met with silence and giggled as he shut the door behind him. "Come on Fai-mewmew wake up! I need someone to blabber with!"_

_It was then he heard a sound, the smallest echoing groan, so quiet it was like the wind through the trees, only half there. Instantly his mind began to sober up and his smile dampered as he walked across the room to his brother's bed. "Hey Fai-chan what's-?" CRACK! Yuui jumped back as his food collided and crumbled something on the floor. Puzzled he knelt down and smelt something that made him gag. Yuui looked at the can with confusion as he read the label. _

Beer?

But, Fai hates beer.

_As he brushed his fingers against the can he felt something sticky on the carpeted floor. Now he realized there was another smell, a retched odor that hung around the room like a dark cloud. It was definitely not beer. _

"_Fai what the hell is that? Are you bleeding or something?" Yuui struggled to push himself up off the floor. No, it wasn't just blood he was smelling, it was something else. Now he was seriously scared. Why the hell was it so dark in here? He paused a moment and let his eyes adjust to the darkness as he moved towards the desk they shared; where the hell was the reading lamp? He needed light!_

_On his way he hit his shin on the side of his dresser and cursed. Holding his bruised skin tenderly he realized something dark was staining his jeans. Blinking away the fuzz the dark had caused in his vision he pressed a palm against the thick fabric and thought back to when he had moved down next to the beer bottle, he had put his leg in something hadn't he? Yuui pulled back his hand and slowly brought it up to eye level. His face drained of color as his eyes took in the sight of his hand, a handprint of blood masking the outside of his skin. The blood was not his own._

"_ou…ou-ee…" Yuui froze. He heard another whimper and a pitiful gasp, as if it were a struggle to breathe. "ou…Yu-ee!" _

_His heart thumping loudly in his ears and his brain filling with horrid thoughts he put two and two together. Stumbling to his feet he lunged towards his desk and turned on the reading lamp. Turning around he gasped so loudly, eyes wide and horrified as he shrieked._

"_FAI!!!" _

* * *

"I thought he was dead," Yuui said quietly, hands folded on the stand as he gazed at them. "There was blood everywhere…"

"Did you see where he was bleeding?" Something in Sorata-san's tone told him he was doing something wrong, and he remembered what the lawyer had said about eye contact. Blinking he tilted his head back up to stare at the caring but serious eyes belonging to the man who had asked the question.

"I couldn't tell at the time…I was pretty freaked out." Yuui did not want to answer the next question he was sure to come.

"Was the victim naked when you found him?"

"…Yes."

"What did you do next?"

"I called an ambulance."

"Did you have any conversation with your brother before help arrived?"

Before, he had never understood why nervous people always wrung their hands, but now as he grasped his left fist in his sweaty palm he began to understand. His eyes wandered away from the lawyer, back to his brother, his twin, his connection, feeling the anxiety that was radiating off of him. Fai had by now sunken even farther within himself, and Yuui was sure that behind that still exterior he was slowly melting, losing all ground for strength, a drowning child trying desperately to kick at the bottom of the lake with his feet. He was beginning to show what he was earnestly trying to hide for so long, his soft side, that he was actually hurting.

That he was losing all faith in himself.

Yuui could not look at him now, not when he was so used to him being so strong. Once again his mind wandered and his eyes fell upon that blasted man, and knew Ashura would be staring back at him, waiting for him to bring up the painful reminder of his betrayal to his best friend.

* * *

_Yuui struggled to pick up that shaking form, the bruised, broken body that was the mirror image of his own. Crying out his name Yuui tried again and again to shake him awake, hoping the powerful jerks might jolt some life back into him._

_Now that he had flipped him over, and was holding him safely in his arms he began to really take in just what he was seeing. Fai's golden hair was stained red at the tips, parts of his body, specifically his lower stomach and his face were bruised deeply. Both his eyes were squeezed shut, but his left was abnormally closed, the black and red bump already forming around the tender skin. There was blood emerging from the crack on his bottom lip, trickling ever so slightly out of the corner of his mouth every time he attempted to speak, an as Yuui shaking hands tried to find a safe place to grasp his twin Fai started to moan from the discomfort. But more blood was coming from his shoulder, his back, Yuui also noticed that a part of his front had sunken in awkwardly, something must have been broken. And that crimson liquid was especially coming out of his brothers backside, that, and another sick, disgustingly sticky yellow liquid that was clinging to his inner thighs and backs of his legs. Yuui was a teenager. He knew what it was._

"_Fai…" he said his voice cracking and his heart almost ceasing. "What happened?" _

_Now he opened the one eye he could, staring at him incomprehensively, his blond eyebrows tilted upwards as he looked at him with a confused stare. His chest was rising down in quick, uneven breaths as his mouth opened but refused to close. Cradling his brother's head against his shoulder Yuui tried to calm himself. He did not like what he saw in those spheres. There was no faith left, no more hope. All life had been drained from his mind, and as Fai's blue eyes met his brothers, two identical forms yet so different, Yuui felt nothing. Not like he was supposed to, not like he always did when he and his twin made eye contact. Before, when they held hands and looked into each others eyes, it was like they were seeing each other's inner soul, and all the feelings and thoughts that guarded it. But now there was nothing, nothing but empty space. His mind, and his heart were exhausted of all emotion, and all that was left was an empty coffin. _

_Yuui dug around desperately in his pocket with his free hand, fingers slipping as he tried to grasp the cool plastic of his cellular device. Out of the corner of his vision he noticed Fai's eyes slowly close and his brother slumped against him. Shaking his head desperately Yuui jerked his shoulder up and down, forcing him to move. _

"_Fai? Fai-chan please stay awake!" He said desperately as he dialed the emergency number. As he heard the phone ringing on the other end he looked down and saw that Fai had his eye open again, and although his face was half buried within Yuui's clothing and his hand clinging desperately to the fabric, he was indeed awake. After what seemed like an eternity a woman answered._

"_911 what's your-?"_

"_Please! Please I need and ambulance!"_

"_Sir I'm going to need you to calm down and tell me where you are."_

"_Please…" Yuui was choking on his words as he felt the heat from his twin's blood permanently ink his skin. "Please hurry. I think someone raped my brother."_

"_Sir you have to tell me where you are."_

"_190 Davis drive." He said trying to stop himself from screaming at the woman. "He's hurt, please, please hurry!" Now both of his arms were wrapped around the trembling child like form and he let his phone drop out from where he had it positioned against his ear and clash against the floor. He was losing blood, way too much of it. Realizing he couldn't afford to waste any more time he looked around for something, anything he could use to press against his shoulder and stop the flow of the blood. His first thought was to grab a bed sheet, but as he looked at Fai's bed he noticed nothing but a bare mattress. _

_This guy was smart; he had taken all the evidence of the crime and had hidden it somewhere! Then how about a pillow case? No, he had taken that as well. Despite Fai's vigorous protests at being moved Yuui had to lean his brother's body against the bed post as he dashed to his own bed and ripped the comforter off, revealing the creamy sheets hidden underneath. _

_Racing back to Fai's side he grabbed a fistful of the material and pressed hard against the blood emerging from his right shoulder. He heard him sigh in protest, muttering that it hurt, but Yuui knew he could not stop. He did not know first aid at all, but he knew that pressure on a wound was supposed to help stop the blood flow so he pressed and continued pressing despite his brother's voice telling him to stop. Keeping his mind focused on his task and the repetitive motion of calming his brother with soothing words his thoughts drifted away to what exactly was happening._

_Someone had raped Fai, that he was sure of. But why? Who had done this? Whoever they were was obviously smart, they had taken away the sheets where the act of spoil had been committed. But where? Where did they hide them? His face paled and he cursed loudly as he remembered hearing the washer running. That bastard. He knew exactly what he was doing. There was nothing he could do as he listened to his brother's sobs as all their hopes of getting evidence were quite literally washing down the drain._

Well, not all… _Yuui thought of it as he looked down at Fai, down to where there was indeed, the evidence they needed. It was there, staining his twin's body with disgusting signs of pleasure. He hadn't been too smart as to wash that away, whoever this guy was. _

Who? Who did this? Did someone specifically target Fai-chan?

_Yuui hugged him close, stroking his head and whispering into his ear. Someone could be targeting his brother, but why? Who would want to hurt him? He had done nothing wrong; he had never hurt anyone before. Yet even then he remembered what he was thinking to himself earlier that night, that something in Fai's attitude had changed, something had happened. His behavior was strange, awkward, even though he would always find a permanent smile plastered on his face, Yuui could see through it so fast. It was not him, it was fake. Yuui knew it all had something to do with school, he only seemed at ease when he was at home and even then he was only half there. What was it? Was somebody bullying him? It was bit uncommon, they always were the underdogs of the schoolyard social status,. Yuui knew that that wasn't it, or at least, not all of it. Was this a hate attack? Did a stranger do this? Was it a kid from school? Someone he knew?_

_Suddenly Yuui heard the loud, echoing blasts of sirens and the rattling of a doorknob, alerting him that the ambulance was here. He tried to stand up but a weak hand clung to him as wide eyes, now paled to the color of shining glass stared at him desperately._

"_Yu-ee…" _

_Yuui couldn't move. Through the open window he heard the knocking and the calls of paramedics and threw back his head as he yelled for help. "Up here! We are up here! Fai let me go get them." He turned back to his brother earnestly trying to pry him away gently._

"…_he'll come back…yu-ee…" He turned back, blood turning to ice. _

"_Who will come Fai?" he said quietly._

"_Shura."_

_Yuui's eyes narrowed in confusion, who was Shura? Well obviously Fai knew his attacker at least that was a start. It would make things easier when they decided to press charges; because they _were_ going to press charges. Whoever this Shura guy was, he was going to pay for what he did to Fai. _

Wait…Shura…Shura?

…_Ashura? _

Ashura? No way!

_Was Fai raped by the most popular kid in school? He shook his head as he heard the pounding of footsteps. It did not matter now; he just had to get Fai to safety. Those two trembling hands grasped Yuui's collar as Fai buried himself once again in his brother's clothes. Yuui knew he wouldn't be able to carry him downstairs, and he did not want to leave him, not for a second, but the paramedics couldn't hear him from here. Ignoring Fai's cries for him to stay he ran out of the room and down the stairs, tears in his eyes as he started screaming. "Help! Please come help!" Now they heard him and they came from the downstairs and charged upstairs. Without stopping Yuui ran back to the boy who laid half unconscious on the carpet. In no time they had him on a stretcher and someone asked Yuui if he wanted to come in the ambulance. He did not answer, only jumped back up to his twin's side, still half in shock as they shut the doors behind him._

…What the hell happened?

* * *

It was horrible, watching his twin get questioned on the stand, even though it was all for him. Fai could not stand to watch it, to have to sit and see the effects of what happened to him rebound on his family and friends was just heartbreaking.

Soon Sorata asked all he could and just like he had warned them, it was now time for Ashura's lawyer to question the witness. This was going to be the brutal part, Fai knew that, but still he was hoping they would believe him, that no matter what Ashura's lawyer said the jury would look in their favor.

Fai watched him now, a slim, well dressed man well into his forties stand up and approach the stand. He was not smiling.

Uh oh. Now the hard part begins.

"Mr. Flowright at what time did you approach the scene?"

"It was just after midnight."

"Mr. Flowright, you informed the police that when you walked into your room, you distinctly remember smelling alcohol is that correct?" Yasha asked.

"Yes."

"So you agree that there was substance abuse by your brother prior to the rape?"

_Wait what? Yuui hadn't said that! _

"No…I never said substance abuse happened prior to the rape!"

_Oh no, wait!_

"So you are saying that the report you said to the police was a lie? That, I quote, "there were empty bear cans on the floor downstairs and up. Fai reeked of it." Was a false statement?"

"No I-!" Oh crap, Yuui was stuttering now too. Fai felt his heart race. _Just tell them what you said Yuui, tell them exactly what you said_. _I was. I was drinking remember?_

"He, he was drinking yes."

"Was this drinking a regular problem?"

"No of course not! ...Only at the time. He was going through a tough time and broke into dad's liquor cabinet." Fai let out the breath he was holding, at least he was telling the truth again. Than again…the blonde could feel the stare of the Jury as the eyes turned to him. Something told him they were not all impressed by the fact a teen broke into his dad's stash.

"Was Fai in the right state of mind when you spoke to him next?"

"What do you think? He had just been fucking raped!" Yuui retorted, unable to contain his outrage. Fai just rolled his eyes. _Of course, I had been completely calm while these events had occurred, Mr. Yasha. _

"Enough Mr. Flowright!" The judge did not look pleased by his use of language and Yuui immediately tensed. "Refrain from further use of foul language and answer the question."

"No." Yuui answered after a pause, his voice laced with bitterness. "He was not."

"When you entered the room, all you saw was 'an open window' as you said."

"Yes," he hesitated before speaking, knowing where this was going.

"So you did not actually see the accused in your house or leaving the property?"

"No."

Now he turned back to the judge. "No further questions." Yasha said before returning to his seat. The judge looked towards Yuui and motioned for him to do the same. Wiping the sweat off of his hands onto his pants Fai saw his twin move slowly back to his seat beside him. The second he was back next to him Fai grasped him like a lifeline. A silent connection went through him; on one side gratefulness was sent, on the other sorrow.

"The prosecution calls Fai D. Flowright to the stand."

Oh no, they were calling him. No. No he could not do this! The moment Fai heard his name being pronounced he'd forgotten everything Sorata had told him to repeat. He forgot how the defense lawyer was going to question him and how to respond, and for a moment, he forgot everything, even what exactly it was that Ashura had done to him.

It all came rushing back, breaking through his protective barrier in an instant.

_Why are you screaming? No one is going to come for you. _

_At one point you seemed to be enjoying it._

_Never knew you could be so tender Fai._

_You're not going to break on me…are you Fai?_

_Don't you dare tell anyone, or I will kill your brother._

_You are all alone…_

_You are __**mine**__. _

Fai grasped his wrist with a shaking hand, this had to stop. Feeling Yuui slowly release his hand he realized he had to make it stop. He had to end this now. So he stood up and walked towards that foreboding seat that was waiting for him, impulsive actions pushed aside and fearful thoughts put on the back burner for a while to simmer. His face was a mask of calm, and as he added less pressure to his wrist he took a calming breath, was sworn in, and sat on that highly uncomfortable wooden bench that was the witness box.

"Please state your name for the records."

He leaned into the microphone as he spoke. "Fai Flowright."

"Mr. Flowright at what time did Mr. Ou appear at the doorstep of your home?"

"About eleven o'clock."

Fai heard his lawyer approach him and he remembered that he was supposed to remain eye contact at all time. His head shot back up as he spoke. "Could you tell the jury what happened that night?"

At first he could not speak. His lips were stuck together with dryness and he worried no amount of moisture could separate them again. The images, the sounds, they all jumbled together as the memories all attacked him at once. As they broke through the barrier he had put up to protect himself from them, he felt them get all messed and out of order.

_He had stabbed me right? No, he stabbed me before he got up the stairs. Should I even bring that up?_

Fai was not sure anymore.

Like the pieces of an unsolved puzzle his memories were scattered. He stumbled to remember exactly what he had told the police that night and the many after that; this was the key to the trial. No matter what he had to stick to the story he was telling, if something was brought up that he had lied about and he didn't react appropriately he would loose the case.

He couldn't afford to.

Oh crap they were waiting on him weren't they?

"I-!" as he finally opened his mouth to speak his voice emerged with a crack. Woah that was much louder than he expected. The blonde cleared his throat. A roomful of people stared back at him, waiting.

"Mr. Flowright would you please tell us what happened the evening of June the 20th 2050?" He heard the judge say. It was definitely an order.

_Wait, evening. _

_That's right, it was wasn't it?_

Keeping that thought in mind he closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on his memories. He listened to the sounds in the room, the shuffling of feet, the silent cough of one of the Jurors', the soft paddling of rain against the windows.

_That's it. _

That sound instantly reminded him of that night. And the little pitter patter awakened the memories he had buried away within his mind. Could you blame him? It was not exactly something he strived to remember.

"…It was raining that night too."

* * *

"_To hand crafted beers made in local breweries! To yoga, to yogurt, to rice and beans and cheese! To leather, to dildos to curry vindaloo!" he sang at the top of his lungs, lifting up the can of beer in an imaginary toast to himself as he fell back off his chair laughing his ass off. He fell to the floor with a thunk his laughter filling the empty house with its boundless echoes. _

_Yah, Fai was really drunk. _

_So drunk he didn't know just how hard he was crying. _

"_Mokonaaaaaaaa!" Fai sang, groaning as he reached up to try and pull himself back up onto his comfy sofa chair. "Pull me up!" He didn't realize he was talking to a stuffed animal on the other side of the house. Opening his blue orbs he continued to reach up his hands, as if this might make him move. Groaning with the effort he just stayed with his arms stretched to the ceiling and suddenly laughed._

"_Look! I'm poking the ceiling!" In reality he was just reaching, and anyone watching would have thought he was crazy, but from where he was lying down on the floor it honestly looked like he was actually poking it. He laughed, closing his eyes again as the musical notes escaped from between his lips. Fai's voice was so different than what he looked right now. If a blind man was standing in the room he would have though the blonde was completely content and just a little hyper. Anyone else would immediately discard that happy tone of voice and recognize the fact that he was sobbing. _

_As the tears escaped he had to cut his laugh short, his tone turning higher and more surprised as he gave out a pained yelp. It was obvious that the salt in the tears were bothering the scrapes on his face. Now he was silent, and he pushed himself up. _

I guess I should fix myself up. _Fai thought to himself as he moved his bruised body, too drunk to realize the pain his torso was in. That's where the biggest deal of the damage was done; when they had attacked him on his way home from school he had quite literally gotten the wind knocked out of him. He knew he should have expected this eventually, now that he wasn't a friend of Ashura, his social status had dropped to below acceptable, and the fact that he was pronounced as being homosexual meant he was twice as likely to get gang beaten. _

_To say the least today was not one of Fai's best. He had just gotten home about an hour ago and his body ached at having to walk the three hours it took to get from his school to his house. That and he was pretty sure the bruises didn't help. It was raining the entire time. Ashura really was an ass…how could someone just stand by and watch someone who used to be their best friend get beaten unconscious like he did? Did he not feel any regret, any remorse whatsoever? They had kissed at that party that night, and he just used the excuse that he was drunk, that it didn't mean anything. Even if he was mad at Fai for having a crush on him, and he said he didn't want to be seen with him anymore…Fai never believed he'd send his jock friends after him. They had told him everything the blonde teen had feared while they beat him, how Ashura was just leading him on this whole time, how he was in love with another girl, some chick named Hannah from school and would rather kill him then be seen with him. It was so hard to disbelieve them when his ex best friend stood over him, leaning against the school wall, watching as he was kicked, punched, and bruised. Then…he walked away._

_And Fai was pretty sure he didn't regret doing it at all. He probably would have preferred if Ashura had killed him, seeing that look in his eyes was deafening. _

_He jumped when a large loud bang of thunder filled the room with sound. Fai couldn't help but notice how much his heart raced; it was pathetic that he had to be so worried that they would come to his house to kill him…but they did threaten him after all. He knew he had a right to be scared. _

_It was just one kiss, at one stupid party. It should not have sent such a trigger of actions. _

_Fai was a mess. Both emotionally and physically. His mind did not even register completely that it was hurting._

"_Bisexuals, trisexuals, Homo sapiens, carcinogens, hallucinogens, men, Pee Wee Herman, german wine, turpentine, Gertrude stein, Antonioni, berotolucci, Kuro-sama, carmina burana!" He sang once more, meowing pitifully after every other word. Damn this stuff was good! Just a few more and he might be wasted enough to actually get some sleep tonight. _

_The blonde teenager let out a surprised little hyuu and jumped out of his skin as he heard someone wrapping quietly on his front door. Smacking the front of his chest so hard he was sure it would leave a handprint he blinked once, then twice, registering that yes there was indeed someone waiting outside. _

_Fai moved sluggishly towards the door. Who would be out in a thunderstorm? Was this person a danger? It was almost midnight; shouldn't that be a dead giveaway that this wasn't just a social visit? Fai did not think of any of these things and opened the door with a small, drink induced smile. _

"_Meowwww," he said waving at the figure with his eyes closed and smile wide. "Can I help you?" He opened his eyes now, taking in the drenched figure before him. Right now he was not standing in the light, but the second he moved forward, that small calm smile on his face like always Fai resisted the urge to gasp. _

"_S-Shura?" Fai said, his face draining of color as he rushed to close the door. You could say in two seconds he had almost sobered up completely. _

"_Please!" Ashura quickly said putting his foot in the doorway and grabbing the door with his hand. "Come on Fai please…" Fai felt his face burn bright red as the tall teen's eyes gazed down at him through wet bangs. "Can we just talk?"_

_He did not know what to do. What did they have to talk about? Opening his mouth his next words came out muddled. "Just, just wait a second." Quickly he shut the door and leaned against it, pushing his hand up to cover his mouth._

Oh damn, _he thought, his blue orbs shaking piteously, _what is he doing here?

_Fai turned around and ran towards the window where he saw his friend huddling outside his door shaking as the rain soaked him and turned his skin to ice. Good, he deserves to be frozen. For a moment the blonde considered leaving him there. What the hell was he supposed to do? Just let him into his home after he had abandoned him to the mercy of his friends earlier that same day? They fucking beat him! And now Ashura came crawling back to him sniffling because he was getting rained on!_

Wait, what the hell is he doing here anyways?

_Taking another quick swing from his dad's cooler he placed it on the table beside him and ran a hand through his hair. _

Better get this done and over with.

_He moved towards the door, unaware just how much he was shaking. "Get in." he said, unable to hide the sour tone in his voice. "You're not staying here for long okay?" _

"_Okay." He said even as he took off his shoes and pulled off his soaking coat. Fai took them from him, careful to make sure he did not touch him in passing. Placing the items of clothing over a heating vent on the floor he turned away from him, trying to stop the relentless pounding of his head and the ache it cause in his heart. It was amazing just how quickly Ashura's little visit was sobering him up. He didn't like that. Fai wished he never had told him; he wasn't even sure at first whether he liked him or not, but when Ashura started paying more attention to him, calling him nicknames and wrapping his arms around his shoulders, even for just one blissful second…he figured Ashura liked him back. _

_He never considered just how wrong he could be._

_Fai turned back around and stared at his ex best friend who stared back at him like he had something on his mind. His face grew shocked, Ashura's big, dark, beautiful eyes going wide as he saw the state of Fai's face. "Damn Fai what did they do to you?" _

You know fully what they did to me. _Why was he only thinking these things? Why wasn't he saying it?_

_Silence formed as Fai struggled to find something to say. He could not believe that in just a few days they had become such total strangers to each other. It was simple; they kissed at a party while induced with alcohol, Fai actually mean it and told him, Ashura had been humiliated, and his friends used that as an excuse to make his life miserable. As far as Fai should be concerned, Ashura was a traitor and a terrible friend. Yet if anyone asked him at that moment what he was feeling for him…he would immediately answer it was relief and hope. His cheeks burned as the man looked him up and down and Fai cursed himself for his reaction. Looks like the remains of his crush was still there after all._

"_Would you like something to drink?" Fai found himself asking lamely. _

Damnit, I am so hopeless.

"_I think you've done enough of that for both of us." He retorted in that quiet calm voice of his, reprimanding him like a child, even as he reached over to hand Fai back his drink. "But I guess a little more wouldn't hurt."_

_Fai was too drunk to realize that drinking more with a man who may or may not want to cause him harm was a stupid idea. Without a word he grabbed it back, threw his head back and took a long swing. "Happy?" he said quietly before letting out a little hiccup. Man his head was starting to hurt. _

_Ashura just chuckled and moved to sit in the living room, the blonde teen going in the opposite direction to get his unwanted guest a can from the fridge. He moved back towards him slowly, inwardly praying that he would just get up and leave, he wasn't sure how much more pain he could take from this guy! He sat down in the leather chair farthest away from Ashura, tossing him the beer can from a distance and finishing off his own before starting another one. _

"_Getting a good head start on me aren't you?" Ashura said opening his own and taking a fair gulp. _

_Fai curled his legs up onto the seat of the chair. Keeping his eyes glued to the object in his hands he couldn't look at him. "Just, just what do you want?" Oh no, he was stuttering again. This was not a good way to start the conversation; he didn't want that traitor knowing just how hurt he was._

"_I wanted to apologize for not doing anything today." _

_Fuck you. That's what he wanted to say in response. How the hell could he say it like that, looking at him like he was reporting the weather? But once again his voice failed him, falling so far away within his body he feared he'd never hear from it again. How could he say something like that? How could he come back with that after rejecting him so horribly?_

"_Come on Fai speak to me."_

_What was there to say? The blonde took another swing, the tears evident in his eyes. "It's…okay Shura." No, why the fuck did he say that? He didn't mean it! But the words still came out, and there was even a small smile gracing his lips, even as the drops flew from his eyes. "I understand." _

_The dark haired man was silent. _

"_Was there anything else you wanted?" Fai said to him, finally turning to look at him, facing those cold black eyes like he was staring past them. _

_He could visibly see the anger in those orbs, something Fai never experienced before: Ashura was always to pleasant to be violent. "Why are you being so difficult Fai?" he said quietly, his smile disappearing and his hands tightening on the sides of the armchair. _

"_What the hell are you talking about?" He snarled, slamming the can down on the table so the liquid came flying out. Fai was on his feet, with each passing second finding it more and more difficult to keep from screaming. "You are the one who came here in the-!" He was cut short, his arms raised in emphasis straining the cuts and scrapes made along his torso. The blonde winced before grasping his sides and retreating slowly back to his chair. He sat panting, eyes half closed as his anger dissolved into a pain so hot it was breaking his heart. _

_No, he was pretty sure it was Ashura who was doing that. _

_He stood up and walked slowly towards him. Fai looked at him with partly open eyes, his hands shaking and his face flushing as the boy advanced towards him. _

"_Here we should get you cleaned up." Ashura grabbed his wrist, quite forcefully actually. Fai pushed him away, speaking weakly. _

"_I'm fine." _

"_You're bleeding." Ashura said even though he backed up so he was a few feet away from him._

"_Why do you want to help now?" Fai said bitterly, the pain disappearing. He shifted his body so his feet were curled up once again on the soft cushion. With shaking fingers he moved his hands away from his body to once again grab the beer. God, he needed it. "You didn't want to help when you watched them beat me."_

"_Because I care about you."_

_He took in a sharp breath, letting his fingers tighten around the can as he drained it. There was a time when he would have given anything to hear AShura say those words, now he couldnt care less, now he realized just how empty those words were. Tears sprung into the corners of his eyes as he bit back a sarcastic response. Fai did not know what to say. Was he kidding around with him? Did he really mean it? If so then why wasn't he acting on his feelings? Why had he ignored him for the last week?_

"_I don't think you know who you're fucking with." Fai said his head turning away angrily. "If you're messing with me Shura…"_

"_I'm not Fai. I do care for you. I want you-," he seemed to stop and Fai turned his eyes up to face him, somewhat worried about the aggressive tone used. Ashura had moved, they were real close now. REAL close. His hands rested on either arm of the arm chair as he leaned in towards him, their faces inches apart. Immediately all feeling left, leaving his sense dull and empty. He felt a feeling of dread cloud his mind as he leaned even closer. Why didn't he trust him all the sudden? A week ago he would have welcomed this, even enjoyed this closeness. Ashura reached out a hand and Fai took in a shaking breath as his skin touched his face. _

"_Lean back." His low voice ordered in a quiet voice. Strangely, he found himself complying with his order, leaning back into the chair as his hands wandered down his body. They traveled across his shoulders and over his chest as Ashura pressed his lips gently against him. Fai froze as he was kissed, momentarily distracted by this strange warmth being pressed against him. He didn't know how to respond, and Ashura seemed to be expecting this, doing all the work as he sat himself upon him and removed his lips momentarily to lean Fai's head back. Fai bit on his lip, his hands still encircled around Ashura's back as the boy began kissing his neck. What…what was this? He let a little moan escape as the hands traveled across his back then farther down. WOAH! Fai tensed, they went a little low there, but Ashura didn't seem like he wanted to stop touching him any time soon. Part of Fai didn't want this to happen, the betrayal and hurt from earlier making Ashura so undesirable at the moment…another part enjoyed this completely, encouraged it, wanted it to continue. _

_He opened his eyes, the ones he hadn't noticed he'd closed, biting back another sound from escaping his lips as Ashura continued kissing his neck. His hands explored everywhere and Fai knew this must have been a dream, the real Ashura hated him, rejected him, why would the real Ashura be touching him like this? His hands would not be doing this, his lips would not be gracing him, and this wasn't him._

_Even as Shura did these things to him, making his body shudder, tears sprung into his eyes. He didn't want this anymore. Not with him. "A-Ashura?" He said his voice growing shaky as Ashura pressed himself harder against Fai's frail body. Suddenly his hands stopped and the dark haired boy unraveled Fai's hands from his back. With a surprising strength he grabbed those hands and forced them down to his sides. The blonde felt something in his stomach turn. This wasn't right, something was wrong. "Hey, Ashura can we-?" As he tried to speak the man forcefully pushed himself against him, grinding their bodies and kissing Fai's lips, forcing them open. Fai's eyes remained open now as he tried to push him away. But no, Ashura was everywhere, exploring everything, touching something that was not his. He was not liking this._

_Suddenly, a movement to his left caught is eyes. Still attempting to detach his lips from his ex-best friend's he looked at the window, where he saw a carful of people sitting on the road. There was one who had actually gotten out of the car, one Fai recognized as his one of his assaulters from earlier. _

_This one had a camera. Fai pushed Ashura off of him, gasping as he saw another flash of a picture being taken. The tall teenager stumbled back, confusion filling his face as Fai stood on his feet. "What? What's-?" _

"_Get out," he said in a throaty voice laced with pain. "Get the hell out of here!" Fai pushed him away angrily. Ashura stepped back looking stunned for a moment before opening his mouth to say something. But no, Fai was not going to give him another chance. He had invited his buddies along, the ones who had just beat the crap out of him and then let them watch as he made an idiot out of Fai, let them take PICTURES none the less! _

"_Get away from me! Get out of my house! I'm calling the cops!" Tears falling and hitting the ground like bullets he turned on his heels and ran upstairs, knowing Ashura would show himself out. _

_He wasn't actually going to call the cops, he was in too much emotional pain to even think of picking up a phone, but later he would wish he had. _

* * *

"So you asked the defendant to leave?"

"Yes." He said in a clear tone, hiding his emotions under that thin mask of his. "I asked him to leave but he showed up with a…he didn't leave." Stop stuttering. Stop stuttering!

"What happened after you ran upstairs?"

"I sat in my room, waiting to hear the door close and his friends drive off. When I thought they left I ran back downstairs." He didn't mention it was to get more beer. "When I came back upstairs, he was in my room, waiting for me. I almost screamed but he came closer to me and covered my mouth. He reached behind me and, and he turned off the lights and…" No, this was too much. The twenty one year old stopped in the middle of his sentence, his voice going weak. His mind filled, the images shaking, disturbing.

Ashura's body touching his, dropping the cans he was holding and hearing the cracks as their feet crushed them, Ashura turning off the lights as he felt him...

Fai raised a hand, covering his mouth with the heel of his palm. Sorata waited a moment before asking another question, trying to move him along.

"What happened next?"

Fai couldn't help but laughing. It was pathetic how he had to say it again when they all already knew what his answer would be. But that's how these things worked. His laugh was anything but happy, it was filled with bitterness, with hurt, with pain. Everyone in the courtroom who knew him would think he was somebody else just by listening at him. The tears remained locked around his eyes as he spoke.

"He raped me." Fai said, his blue eyes trembling as he blinked back the tears.

"That's a **lie**!"

Fai jumped, giving out a choked gasp as Ashura stood up. He opened his mouth, attempting to say something as the other people in the room went into an uproar. The judge smacked her hammer and the officer beside her moved to the front of her pedestal, looking threatingly at the tall man who had just stood up. "Sit back down Mr. Ou!" she said, her voice loud and slightly outraged. "Yasha, refrain your client from further comments or he will be detained from the court room." Mr. Yasha nodded moving closer to Ashura and whispering urgently to him. Ashura just sat back down, looking at Fai with empty eyes.

Fai had never felt more afraid.

Sorata-san waited as the rest of the people in the room calmed down, watching as the judge called for order. The man, almost twenty years Fai's senior, noticed how badly he was shaking and used a soft, but urgent tone as he tried to move the proceedings along.

"Do you remember anything else?" he said.

The blonde man blinked back the tears, now falling from Ashura's movement. His bottom lip quivered as his mind wandered, the flashbacks dangerous.

_They'll never believe you Fai, you know that._

_You taste good, anyone ever told you that?_

_Close your eyes Fai, sometimes it helps._

_Stop yelling already. It's ruining the moment._

_I will kill your brother,_

_I will kill your brother!_

_You hear me?_

Yah, he remembered a lot more than he was letting on.

But before he could answer Sorata's next question he was already pulled back into a strain of memories, even more painful then the last.

* * *

_Ashura jumped when he heard the sound of a door being closed from downstairs. Immediately he was up, moving around in a quick, panicked state. He picked up the knife from where he had dropped it on the bedside table and shoved it inside his jacket. Forgetting all talk about forcing Fai into the shower he ran to the window to open it up, obviously worried the person who had just entered the house would catch him. Fai only watched, his heart lifting with each passing second._

_Someone was here! Someone would catch him! In his mind he shouted for help, but when he parted his lips to speak his voice came out high, squeaky and painfully. "Up here." He said his voice quieter than he had planned. "Up here!" As soon as he said this he regretted it, Ashura noticing he was speaking and hitting him over the head. Fai remained silent. _

"_Don't you dare tell anyone." He whispered urgently, yanking at Fai's hair so hard he feared the pulling would rip his head off. He turned him so they were facing each other and at eye level. "If you tell anyone, I will come back, and I will kill your brother. You hear me?" _

_The teen just hung there limply, too weak to announce his horror at the thought of his twin being hurt. Ashura dropped him then, moving back towards the window to get out on the tree resting just outside it. No, Fai had to stop him, he couldn't get away! They had to know it was him, even if he died before help got to him; they had to know how Ashura had betrayed him._

"_Help…somebody help…" he said weakly. Fai tried to push him self up but the pain was too great, he feared he was dying. _

_Ashura must have thought he was talking to him because he turned around, his foot halfway out the window._

"_It's time you learned to pick yourself up Fai."_

* * *

Tears filled his eyes and he let them sit there at the courthouse gazed back at him, all deadly silent. His face was only staring at one person, at Ashura. He could feel multiple pairs of eyes turn to look at him, dissecting him with their stares. Good. He deserved to feel the shame of what he did to him.

Ashura needed to know just how much he ruined his life.

He couldn't believe that at one point they had been so close. But that was before Fai realized just how much he was deceiving him right from the start. He may have shown him dreams at one point, but he broke his promise, he said he would never hurt him like the others did. Ashura deserved to feel terrible. He had made Fai feel it for the last four years.

"No further questions." Sorata-san said in a loud voice, drawing Fai's gaze back to him. As he sat back down at his table the blonde couldn't help but notice the sadness he felt at having to force Fai to relive it all over again. Yasha just stared on, looking at him thoughtfully. The judge said something Fai ignored and his opponent stood to attention.

The defense attorney rose.

And Fai's confidence in his case fell.

* * *

"So wait, you want me to come out to Celus?" Kurogane said through the landline, leaning against the countertop, his dark brows furrowed.

"Please big brother?" Tomoyo said sweetly on the other side giggling lightly as she hear her brother's confusion. "I know we were supposed to have lunch together today, but I just found out Martha wasn't able to cover me so I'm the lead assistant for the _Times_ today, isn't that amazing?"

Kurogane just rolled his eyes. Leaving it to his sister to completely forget what days she was busy. Tomoyo had just graduated from the Academy, a really well rounded out University with a degree in journalism. He was immensely proud of his little sister; she was hired just a few weeks after graduation at _The Loshin Times._ She was an assistant to one of the lead journalists there for the criminal acts section, which was a very big deal when she was so young. She also liked to make her own clothing; Kurogane always wondered why she never started her own clothing line. He just guessed it was more of a hobby, writing had always been more important to her.

Still, Celus? There was a big difference between Loshin and Celus! What the fuck was she doing all the way over there? That was like a three hour drive away from her house in the upper class part of Loshin…where she lived with their father. _No_, Kurogane thought shaking his head to clear his thoughts, _I'm not thinking about that little fucker._

"When will you be done?" he said.

"Well…we're covering a court case today…I'm needed before and after…but I do get a break period at about seven!"

Seven o'clock, at night? So much for having lunch together then. "I don't know Tomoyo, I don't think I should leave the kids by themselves, Blondie is gone to visit his brother at the hospital."

"But…" damn he could almost hear her pouting through the phone. "I had something I wanted to give you." Smacking his face with his palm he groaned.

"Fine, but you're paying for my bus ticket!"

"Deal!" she said excitingly. "I'll meet you outside the courthouse at about 7:15 okay?"

"Whatever." Kurogane said, feeling himself blush at his sister's joy.

"I love you Kurgy!"

"Love you too squirt." Kurogane hung up, chuckling to himself. He loved the girl dearly, and protected her like she was ten even though she was only a year younger than him. Kurogane had always been protective of her, but who couldn't be? She was just too loveable.

He'd never tell her that.

Worse than that she was god damn annoying in about 1000 aspects. She called him nicknames, although not as bad as the blonde idiot he slept with, she had him wrapped around her pinky finger, she forced him to be her model whenever she designed her clothes, the list went on and on.

Moving away from the phone he looked at the bed he and Fai had slept in last night. He tried to ignore the pang he felt when he woke up and the blonde wasn't there. He also feared what the idiot might have seen when he woke up…

He was so lucky that he always woke up before Fai did. There had been many times in the night when Kurogane had unconsciously shifted in his sleep, occasionally wrapping his arms on top, or even around, the young man. It would have been immensely embarrassing if Fai had woken up with Kurogane on top of him.

Still…he didn't mind being able to cuddle with someone as soft and warm as him.

Damn. Why did he have to smell so good?

Kurogane growled, moving over to make the bed. He was still pissed off about what had happened between the two of them last night. Maybe it was a good thing the idiot was gone for the weekend; they both needed some time to think about what happened.

And what they wanted to do next.

Kurogane folded the futon back up and turned his head to look at Syaoran and Sakura's bedroom door, which was closed since they still rested deep in slumber. Lifting his arm up to his face he glanced at his watch. It was almost one. He should probably get them up; tell them where he was going for the day.

Looks like he was headed for Celus in the next few hours.

* * *

**OH YEAH! Enter Kurogane! xD and yes, for all of you who know, the song Fai was singing was indeed from RENT. And believe it or not, the words Kuro-sama are actually in there O.o I couldn't believe it when I saw it XD **

**Hope you guys liked, sorry that it was completely and utterly depressing! : (**

**Please review! Constructive criticism is always welcome.**

**Signed,**

**Destiny's Daughter. **


	11. Makeup Remover

I'm so sorry! I can't believe it took me two months to write this chapter : ( Sorry guys! That was bad of me. Thank you to all who continuously reviewed though. I really appreciate it and I hope you will review again…even tho I don't deserve it for making you guys wait so long.

**Thanks to: Yuriama sohma, Phoebe Yuu, 3, ……, NorthernShinigami, lucca, UnexpectedInspiration, AirbenderBigMac, xxxbabyyXXX, Tomoyo, LOL100, jiaqianyin, Olivia Eternal Song, Nadie, andre-95, XXXTsubasaRozXXX, LOL100, walkergirl, AnimeFreak4261, elany, Breed107, Kinibop, Monkeys.4eva, yoshikochan, xHanako, Flowing Breeze, Becca the fiend, Melissa Brite, Rahar Moonfire, Aika08, AND SakuraKiss18.**

**For Reviewing! You guys are awesome!!**

**Let the record show that I do not own any Tsubasa characters or quotes, they all are copywrited by clamp so help me zeus! X ( So sad. **

* * *

Chapter Eleven: Makeup Remover

As the tall man approached where Fai was sitting on the stand the blonde remembered how important eye contact was. He had always kept his bangs shorter, his lawyer made sure of that. Sorata said sometimes a judge's decision could hinge on something as frivolous as whether or not they could see your eyes.

Yasha was so smooth Fai was tempted to look at the floor as he by to see if he left a slick trail. He was clean, hair well trimmed and face completely bare. He also wore shoes made of tough, expensive leather that did not squeak and shirts which required cuff links. Damn, Ashura's family wasn't joking around. This guy looked impressive.

And formidable.

"Mr. Flowright." He said approaching the stand with a confidence Fai found infuriating. This man had to know that Ashura was guilty. How could he clearly try and make him seem like he was wrong when it was obvious his client put him through hell and repetitively made him bash foreheads with the devil? "At what time did you say Ashura came to your home?"

"It was about 11:30."

"At what time did you start drinking?"

"…about 9:00."

"Mr. Flowright you reported to the police the night after the attack that you were beaten repetitively by the defendant than raped is that correct?"

"Yes."

"At approximately what time did this happen?"

"It was almost twelve."

"Mr. Flowright, have you ever been in trouble with the law before?"

Sorata jumped to his defense. "Your honor, Objection! Harassment."

The judge turned her head towards the lawyer standing before her. "Yasha get to the point."

He nodded. "What I mean is have you not been in trouble with the police for under aged drinking before the incident happened?" Mutters were heard from one of the jurors. Fai stiffened. He shouldn't have been surprised; he knew they were going to bring that up. What he was surprised about though, was that he did not immediately tell them it was all because of Ashura. Because it was. Watching the lawyer with cold eyes he spoke. "Yes." Yasha seemed pleased that he agreed with him so easily. Bastard.

"Also Mr. Flowright, please tell me the part of your story where Mr. Ou appeared in your bedroom?"

"I went back downstairs-"

"To get some beer?"

"Yes," his words were hissed out. This man was really starting to annoy him. "I went downstairs to get some beer and when I got back upstairs he was there and he had a knife. Ashura hit me, threw me on the bed, than stabbed me. Than he raped me." It was too much. Grasping his hands on the stand he stood up ready to leave before the judge bashed her gavel.

"Sit back down Mr. Flowright! The cross-examination is not finished yet."

Fai was shaking from anger. It took all of his will to stop himself from running. But he knew he could not. So while his insides exploded within him he sat down.

"Mr. Flowright you also said earlier that when he stabbed you, it went through you, through your sheets, and into your mattress correct?"

"Yes."

"And that after the sexual assault was completed he removed the sheets and put them in the washing machine correct?"

"What do you mean?" Fai said slowly, watching carefully as the lawyer moved to grab the bagged piece of evidence from the prosecution's table. It had been recovered from the washing machine later the night of the crime when all the blood had already been removed. It was his sheets.

"Did you not say that he stabbed through your shoulder, than through the blanket and the mattress?" Yasha repeated.

"Yes." He said cautiously.

Yasha arched one of his black eyebrows high. "Then how is it that there are no cut marks on your sheet?"

Fai froze. _What? Of course there was! _

"You're lying." Fai said in a suddenly dry voice. "There…there has to be a cut there."

The lawyer pointed to the projector set up on the wall. After a few clicks, so silent in reality but echoing in the young man's head, a picture appeared on the screen. Judging by the creamy folds displayed across the projector screen, he figured what they were.

There wasn't a sign of a rip where the knife had cut through. But…Fai remembered that! He remembered with horror just how the weapon had pushed through him and into the mattress, which was covered by the sheet! There had to have been a rip!

"Now Mr. Flowright. Let's get to the point." He slowly moved towards the screen, now turning his attention to the jury. "You reported to the police that you were stabbed, raped, than pushed over so Mr. Ou could get your sheets isn't that correct?"

Fai nodded his head than remembered he had to speak. "Yes…" well that's what happened! There was nothing else to it! Unless…

"So if you were stabbed on your bed before Mr. Ou took off the sheets wouldn't there be a rip, however small, in the sheet?"

Oh no. Blinking away the fuzziness that grew in his mind he tried to think back to that night, to exactly what happened. Yeah, that was what order it was in…that's how he remembered it! His heart sank, so far he could feel it beating in his stomach. The young man could almost hear Yasha's face form a smile.

"No further questions."

A shaking Fai stood up. In five quick strides he was once again in the relative safety of the pews and his brother who held out a hand expectantly. Fai did not take his eyes off of his brother's hand, watching it begin to shake as it wrapped itself around his. It wasn't Yuui who was shaking. He closed his quivering blue orbs, trying to remember the night he had tried so desperately to forget.

_Pain._

_Fear_

_Afraid. I'm afraid!_

_What? What is he doing? Why is he pushing me?_

_No, no don't touch me! _

_Get OFF of me! _

_I have to get away, I have to get away!_

That was it!

When Ashura threw him on the bed…when he tried to force him to stay…Fai grabbed the sheets. He tried to pull himself free. In the process…

Fai opened his eyes. In the process he had pulled the corner of the sheets off…the corner where he was stabbed. That explained why the stab was only shown on the mattress and not his sheets.

But it was too late. They could not say that now. Besides, who would believe him? He HAD been drunk when this happened. That instantly discredited half of his story.

And it only improved Ashura's chances of winning.

It was time for the defense to call their witnesses.

* * *

Kurogane sighed, turning in his palm to stare out the window of the dingy, smelly bus he was sitting in. Damn, why the hell did Tomoyo have to pick today of ALL DAYS to be out of town? Lazily his crimson eyes scanned the rolling countryside, watching the clouds turn from fluffy white to scattered and grey, signaling rain. Good thing he was almost there, he wasn't sure how much longer he could handle being inside.

It had been a long time since he had been to the country. It must have been during his adolescent years, he deducted, since he could not remember any of the grueling details. It was bright then, just like it was now…was it the middle of the summer? No, it was the fall, closer to winter, when the campsites were all cheap and the water too cold for swimming. But not on that day. He remembered that weekend they had got a sudden heat wave. The sheer power of the temperature was covering the campsite they were staying in like a heavy weight, so much that for a young child it was difficult to move. He heard a low buzz, a droll, repetitive sizzle that spread throughout the bus. The sound of a bug in the heat of summer. Kurogane closed his red eyes slowly. Silently he began to remember, and in a way he began to forget. Slowly the young man drifted away. So far away he was going that he didn't remember exactly where, or when he was going. All he could remember was that sound, the sound of bugs. It was like pulling the trigger on a gun, he was the bullet, and he was being propelled forward.

Or rather backwards, in time.

_

* * *

_

* * *

Youo huffed as he sat down at the picnic table, pushing a twig between the carvings tattooed into the wood. Why was it he was surrounded by a forest filled with trees for climbing and low branches for sitting, a creek swimming with fish and frogs made for catching, and a hillside just begging to be explored yet he had absolutely nothing to entertain himself with? This place was a young boy's dream yet he had already managed to exhaust all the fun out of whatever this place could conduct.

_The ten year old was easily a city boy. Anyone could tell. To him taking a few steps outside of his messy house, packed with his ten older relatives, his parents, and his sister, was the distance from one side of Canada to the other. Then again, he never really had much time to spend exploring the world around him. Whenever he was not busy with school he was looking after his four grandparents, his aunt's children (all of which were half his age or less) and his sister. So for him, being four hours away from home and a half hours drive to the nearest great population was…well a big deal. _

_His ears twitched, his whole body shifting from where it was resting on the table as he heard a sharp buzzing in his right ear. Making a low sound, halfway between a meh and an ugh he reached up a small, tanned hand to hit whatever it was that was making that bothersome racket. Sure enough it stopped only to continue five seconds later in the other ear. Growling angrily he opened up his fiery eyes, watching as the large black fly flew around his head. Judging by how much he was saying, Youo could bet it was probably singing a soundtrack in bug speech. It carried on its noise endlessly and the young boy focused grumpily on his soon to be prey. Couldn't the stupid thing tell he was trying to find something constructive to do? In these kind of kid matters its better not to be interrupted!_

_Reaching up both of his arms he spun them around wildly, watching as it did laps around his face. Unbeknownst to the little fang sticking out of the side of his mouth Youo voiced his annoyance loudly, using all the colorful vocabulary he learned at school to his advantage. Panting slightly he stopped, relieved when for one blissful second he heard silence. When the noise once again continued he knew he was defeated. Letting out a moan he just let his head drop and hit the picnic table again. He knew he should have brought his water gun. _

_And still there was nothing to do. _

_This was just getting ridiculous. His boredom was so strong around him he could almost hear it. He just HAD to find something to do. Looking around at his family's campsite Youo hoped to find some form of entertainment there. Angry red eyes rolled when all he found even remotely interesting among clothing hanging over clothing lines and red coolers filled with water bottles was squirrel scurrying over a nearby rock. Shuffling his sneaker covered feet in the loose dirt Youo covered his ears with his hands and let out a loud groan._

"_Why is there never anything to dooooooooooo?" he grunting angrily, kicking at the earth with his feet. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he felt something poke his chest. _

_Turning around quickly he let loose the breath he was holding, noticing it was only little Tomoyo. Why the hell was she poking him with a stick? Probably so she wouldn't get hit by the flying feet. He stopped. Grunting a greeting he swung his legs back over the bench and continued his violent assault on the table with his little twig. _

"_Umm Oniisan-chan? What are you groaning about?" she asked innocently._

"_Quiet Tomoyo! And stop calling me that will ya? You make me sound so cute and girlish." He shuddered, emphasizing his point. His little sister however looked delighted. Oh no, he gave her an idea didn't he? This wasn't good. By now the boy had learned just how lethal Tomoyo's ideas could be. _

"_Oh Oniisan-chan you'd make such a pretty girl! I should call you Yoana!" She clapped her hands together excitingly much to Youo's terror. _

"_Never mind that!" He snapped hoping she wouldn't notice the pink that was shading his face. With a wave of his hand he ordered her away, turning back to his table. "Now go away! Can't you see I'm busy?" He gestured at the wood. She itched forward, peering around his shoulder curiously. _

"_What are you doing?" She said eyes wide._

"_Art." He grumbled in reply, expecting her to be too young to understand what exactly art was. _

"_Ahhhhh." She giggled; fascinated as her older brother covered the table with tiny circles with the green insides of his twig. "Well!" she chirped as she turned on her heels and walked away. "Since you're too busy being an artist, I assume you don't want to go swimming?"_

_That got his attention. Swimming! Figures he would not think about the most obvious thing to do on a lakeside campsite. _

"_Tch." He said waving his hand in attempt to diminish her suggestion as unimportant. "Why would I want to do that?" _

_Tomoyo just laughed again, throwing her long black ponytail over her head. The sun reflected off of it, making it look purpler than Youo's natural red highlights. She always did look more like mom than he did. She gave him that smile, showing that he wasn't as hard to read as he thought he was. _

"_Well since you seem a little _busy_," Tomoyo giggled. "You're right, why would you? Sorry to bother you!" She continued to prance off until the young Youo shot up from his seat. _

"_Hey! Are we going to the beach or not?" He huffed, stomping towards the containers which held their clean clothes. Tomoyo squealed, jumping on the spot as she raced after her brother._

_As they walked down the pathway through the forest, trucking along with their gear lung over their arms the red eyed boy weighted his options. There was a good chance his mother wasn't going to wake up anytime soon. She always was a heavy sleeper and it wasn't even noon yet. It was inconceivable that she would be able to drag herself out of bed this early in the day. His dad was going to be a problem though. He always woke with the sun, an attribute he seemingly passed onto his son. The senior Suwa left to get supplies about an hour ago. They probably still had another hour before he got back to the site…so subtract the five minutes to walk from the site to the lake and the time to get back, also an extra ten minutes just incase he came back early…they had about forty minutes to swim. Plenty of time. Tomoyo would probably be done within the first twenty. Even if she wasn't, he would make sure she was. Youo could not afford his father getting mad at him! Not if he ever planned on inheriting the Suwa name. But his planning was done perfectly, he figured._

_Even though he still did not know how to explain their wet swimming gear._

_The forest was peaceful to say the least. Colors were everywhere- unlike back home in Loshin where grey and black were the most common attributes to the scenery. At first glance, a forest appears to just be different shades of green and brown. But the longer you remain in it, the deeper you look within it, the more you will discover. _In a way, this place is like a city._ Youo mused with himself. When at first you look at a place of great urbanization one word would come to mind, big. Everything is big: the buildings, the garbage, the population, the smog capacity, even the diversity was big. In a place as big as that, the only things you noticed were the big things, the prominent things; the obvious traits. Buildings and population aside, there was more than that. It's just that when you are in such a large space you automatically ignore the smaller things, like the culture, the graffiti art, the people as individuals, not as a whole. It was the same with a forest. The first thing you happen to notice as you stumble through the woods is the height and depth of the trees, than how muddy the ground is right after it has rained. However, people tend to forget the layers of bark that make up the trees and the bugs that live in between them. They happen to not notice the multiple types of pebbles that stabilize the mud and make it so you can step on top of it instead of through it like you would water. All they notice is how dark and unappealing the color is for mud and how crunchy and rough the bark is on top of the trees. A forest houses thousands of creatures big and small, all of them different, all of them forced to be habituated with each other simply because they all share a common need. Survival. _

_The young boy could hear the small scampering sounds of squirrels hopping from branches and the flutter of wings as they journeyed the undiscovered world up above. It always confused Youo, how some creatures managed to do something so hard to achieve for other animals, but normal to them. Birds were doing something that for millions of years humans had been unable to accomplish: the gift of flight. It was something that was of nature to them, something that was easily expected when they were giving birth. Why? Because that was the way they were. Other the animals were the same too weren't they? You'd expect a lion to roar, but not a tabby cat. It was easy to estimate that a sloth was going to sleep almost every hour of the day and an owl being able to twist its head almost all the way around. Humans were the same too weren't they? You could tell what they could and couldn't do. It was the things that were unnatural to them, for instance flying that made them humans. _

We wouldn't be humans if we had wings would we?

_As they walked over tree roots and rocks Tomoyo occasionally stopped, clutching her Barbie doll Jasmine (whom she refused to leave the campsite without) and examining a caterpillar. Her brother just nodded his head at her, bending down beside her and watching her struggle to pick up the tiny insects. Finally the sound of moving water rushed to his senses and he breathed a sigh of relief. They were there at last! He was starting to think they would run out of time. _

"_Look Oniisan-chan!!" she squealed jumping on the spot before running across the brown sand, kicking off her sandals as she moved. _

"_Hey wait up!" He protested, moving quickly after her as he saw her stumble over the rocky bottom and splash into the water. Laughing slightly he bent down to grab the towels his sister had discarded the second she saw the water. Holding both of their gear in his arms he walked towards a picnic table, placed somewhere to his left and took off his own sandals. Youo was halfway through unbuckling his second sandal when he heard laughter._

"_What are you __**kids**__ doing here?" His ears pricked up as he heard a voice. It was way too deep to be his sister. _

_Turning around quickly he looked to where Tomoyo was wading, up to her hips in water, and to the five teenaged boys blocking her from coming back to shore. His eyes grew wide. He discarded his attempts at taking off his other shoe. _

_He started running. _

"_Sw-swimming." He heard her say, obviously shy and nervous because of the sheer size of them. _

"_Little brats like you?" No, he had to move faster! By now his still sandaled feet were splashing through the water. "Fine," another said, Youo could almost hear their smirks as they laughed. "Than go swim." _

"_B-but I can't swim any deeper! Oniisan says I could get hurt!"_

_Damn water, why was it resisting him so much! He moved faster now, heart beating rapidly. If they fucking touched her they were dead meat!_

"_Swim dammit!" he heard her shriek and the sound of pulling hair. That threw him over the edge. _

"_Hey you!" He shouted angrily, jumping one of the boys surrounding his sister and throwing him into the water. "Get away from her!" _

_Youo was half underwater as he began to punch that asswipe's face in. He heard muffled yelps and hands moving to pull him off when he heard Tomoyo shout his name. That brought him back and he threw himself above water, gasping for air as the boys around him tried to pull him off their comrade. Due to his size it wasn't that hard. Shaking his head to get the water out of his eyes he gazed at the people around him. Two of the guys were helping their fallen comrade open and the other two were holding him and his sister. He struggled relentlessly. Who were these fricken idiots? _

"_Let go of her!" He yelped as he bit the hand of the teenager confining him. The man swore but didn't let go. "You better! You don't know the wrath of a Suwa!" _

_By now the guy he had jumped had gotten out of the water and was advancing towards him. Kurogane felt his heart thump wildly. This guy was at least twice his size. Twisting this way and that he tried to get out of the teen's grip as he saw the others close in around him, blocking Tomoyo from his view. No, he had to get to Tomoyo. He had to get to Tomoyo!_

"_Shut the fuck up." Only then did he see what the guy was holding in his fists. _

_Those thoughts were instantly knocked out of his head by the rock his victim threw at him. He didn't see anything as he felt it hit his head and heard Tomoyo scream. After that his whole world went black._

* * *

He was jerked awake by the sudden stopping of the bus. Quickly sitting up he inhaled deeply through his nose, rubbing at his eyes with the back of his fist. Kurogane looked out the window and noticed he was no longer in the countryside. Damn, how long had he been asleep? Worried he had missed his stop he grabbed his stuff and raced towards the front of the now empty bus.

"Excuse me when are we going to get to Celus?" He said putting down his stuff in one of the seats and looking over the drivers shoulder.

The driver, a rather large man in his mid fifties looked at him through his mirror. "We already are."

Kurogane gazed through the front window. Wow. So this was Celus huh?

Sure was puny.

They were on what looked like the main road, heading down into a valley filled with tiny shops and homes. This was nothing like what Kurogane expected.

_What would Tomoyo be doing with the Loshin Times…out HERE?_

The bus drove down the street, passed the brick houses built on the slope and over the bridge. The little mason work bridge helped them over the little ditch that lead to a slow moving river, accompanied by a pretty looking trail. As they reached the bottom of the valley, they stopped at a four corners, four roads meeting at one point. A group of teenagers passed in front of the large vehicle and Kurogane blinked the surprise off his face as he saw the expensive clothing these kids wore, even on a weekend. This was a rich kid's town wasn't it?

_Perfect._

The kids passed in front of them, laughing to each other and talking amongst one another. The second they were out of the way the light turned green again and the bus accelerated, desperately trying to gain momentum so it could get up the huge hill. Once they got over to the top they decreased in speed, Kurogane watching as the small town with small houses turned into busy shopping centers and huge, expensive parking lots. Talk about a change in scenery. Realizing he probably had a little more time till he got to the nearest stop he sat back down, this time in the front seat and resumed his window gazing.

The hillside had turned to a flat plateau by now, covered by strip malls and local grocery stores. Distantly on both sides of the road he could see rows and rows of houses, subdivisions. Kurogane observed silently as they began inconsistent blurs on the edge of his vision. His eyelids fluttered. Damn, why was he so tired all the sudden? The young man would always insist that he wasn't even closing his eyes when the bus came to a speeding stop. With a shout of protest he shot forward and hit the front of the seat violently. Letting out a little curse he glared intently at the bus driver. He could see him smiling in the reflection of his mirror. It was when he was staring in that general direction that he realized what the bus had stopped just a few buildings down from.

_Celus House of Justice.  
_

_Well that doesn't sound intimidating at all.  
_

But it wasn't the courthouse that caught his attention so suddenly. It was the young girl standing in front of it. No…the young woman. A woman he had not seen in so long she might as well have been dead to him.

"Tomoyo." His voice came out in half a whisper. In an instant he had grabbed his stuff and bulleted himself out of the door. Barely hearing the sound of the springs being released in the bus as the door opened, unaware of the sounds of moving people and mindless chatter he moved forward. Seconds went by yet he had already managed to maneuver his way towards her. In two seconds Tomoyo was in his arms. He was holding her, he was smelling her. This was her. This was his sister, the one he had grown up with, the one he had protected, the one he loved. Kurogane felt himself smile as she threw her little arms around him and muttered contently in his ear.

"Kurogane-oniisan…"

* * *

"The defense calls Clow Reed to the stand."

Fai watched as a tall man, his long dark hair pulled back in a pony tail moved from the pews. His eyes filled with sadness as he remembered Clow Reed, he was their neighbor from across the street. Back when they were little he and his wife used to hold the best Christmas parties. Then again that was before she mysterious got up and left one night. The man moved quietly, with the same calming grace as he always did. He was always such a caring man, someone you could always trust. Even though he was only in his mid forties, one would think he was almost one hundred. This was not because of how he looked, but because of the air of wisdom he maintained. Fai frowned. He did not know Clow was on the defense's side.

Once he was sworn in Yasha approached him confidently, ready to begin his witness's examination.

"What did you observer on June the 20th 2050 Mr. Reed?" he said loudly.

At first the man sitting was slow to answer. "I was sitting on the patio bench, reading a book of mine," he began in a quiet, low voice. The man reached up a hand to put his spectacles in place. "When I saw a car full of very loud teenagers pull up in the house in front of mine."

"Did you recognize anyone in the car?"

"Not at first no."

"What happened next?"

"Someone got out of the car and approached the house."

"So you only saw Mr. Ou get out of the car?" The defense attorney said prompting him into the direction he wanted with his words.

"I did not recognize him at the time, but yes, I saw someone get out of the car and approach the house."

"At what time did you see the car drive away?"

"It was about midnight. I figured they got tired of waiting because their friend did not come back. They moved a little farther up the street and waited there."

"When did you see someone come up to the door again?"

"It was sometime after 12:00, I was heading inside to go to bed when I saw some people on the property and eventually entering the house."

"Did you see anything else?" Yasha persisted confidently.

Clow turned his eyes warily to look at Fai. Those dark eyes, usually so full with wisdom, looked down at the boy through his glasses sadly. "No." He said, ripping that powerful gaze away from the blonde.

"No further questions."

All eyes were on Sorata as he stood up and walked towards Clow. Fai actually felt bad for having to see him be interrogated by Sorata-san. He was actually a really good guy; he remembered that from when he was a kid. Clow Reed was always quite, more interested in politics and his books than the real world. But with his wife being a social butterfly it was hard not to be popular and talkative at their parties. The young man did not remember much of Mrs. Reed. When she left he was so little he didn't even remember the color of her hair. All he knew was that she was really tall and painted figurines for a hobby. That and the fact that she randomly strode out of the house one night and drove away. Mrs. Reed never came back, even though Clow sat waiting for her on the porch every other night to return. Fai figured that was what Clow Reed had been doing that night when he saw Ashura too.

"Mr. Reed, on the second time you saw someone approach the house did you get a clear view of who it was?" Sorata-san said to him politely, noticing that this man deserved his respect.

"No, I did not recognize the people at the time."

"So how did you manage to know that it was two people walking on the Flowright's property?"

"Because I heard talking." He insisted. "If they were talking of course there was more than one person."

"Indeed Mr. Reed?" Sorata-san motioned to the tables where they were sitting. Fai felt his brother clutch him tighter. "Does it not make sense that it could have been my client's brother? Who returned at approximately the time you heard 'two people approach the house' and was supposedly 'singing to himself'?"

Clow's brow wrinkled, as if taking time to process this thought. But no. He knew what side he was on. "No it could not have been him. I've know Yuui since he was a little kid. He did not sound like that."

Sorata was silent, moving back momentarily to see his notes on the table than looking back up at the witness. "Mr. Reed, your glasses, are they for reading?"

He shook his head, confused about the randomness of his question. "No. I can't see things very far away well."

"Ah." Sorata nodded. "So, do you wear your glasses when you are reading?"

"No it hurts my head too much."

Yasha seemed to realize where this was going and quickly stood. "Judge does this have any relevance to the case?"

She turned to look at Sorata and he politely smiled. "Yes Judge it does. He says." With a wave of her hand she sent him off again.

"So if you didn't need them for reading, were you wearing your glasses that night?"

Clow turned silent. Fai's eyes widened seeing the loophole Sorata-san had caught. It would have been easy to mistake one person as two when it was dark and the man couldn't see farther than a hands length away without his vision being blurry.

"No…they were in the house at the time." he said quietly.

"So would it not have been easy to mistake the number of people present the second time someone entered the house?"

He did not answer, but that was okay. They all got the gist of it now.

"No further questions."

Sorata waited until the witness got down from the stand and was sitting once again in the pews before walking back to his table. Once again Sorata and Yasha traded places, neither making eye contact nor speaking the entire time.

When Yasha stood in the middle of the room once more, the complete centre of attention, he spoke. Fai felt his heart wretch. This was it.

"The defense calls Ashura Ou to the stand." Fai's entire body immediately snapped to his attention, eyes flickering towards where his rapist sat. There was a dead silence that fell across the room that was thicker than fog, quickly dispersing as the man stood from where he was standing and began the long walk to the witness stand. Or in his case the accused. He sat down and the officer moved forward to swear him in. The whole while Fai never took his eyes off him. Once the officer was done with his duties he moved away and Fai got a better look at the man he hadn't seen in years.

To say the least he didn't look _nearly_ affected as much as he was sure he did. Yasha tilted his head up, making himself look even taller than he already was. He looked his client straight in his face, probably ordering him silently to never look away from him the entire time he was up on the stand.

"Mr. Ou, at what time did you arrive at Mr. Flowright's place?" He asked.

"About half after eleven." Oh my god. It was the first time Fai had heard Ashura speak in years…how was it his voice still sounded as sexy as it did back then?

"In what state did you find the young man when you arrived at his home?"

"He was terrible." Ashura said, maintaining his eye contact with his lawyer at all times.

_Well that was an understatement for sure_. Alone, discarded. Rejected, abnormal. Depressed, hurt, ashamed, beaten. Abused, different, defiled. Any of those words could have replaced terrible in that sentence…and they would have all been true.

"He was definitely drinking." He continued. Yasha nodded.

"Mr. Ou did you drink anything while you were on his property?"

"No."

_No, but you were pretty tipsy by the time you got there._

"How did you get on Mr. Flowright's property?"

"I got a couple of friends to drop me off at the entrance to his subdivision; I walked the rest of the way."

"So your friends did not know where you were going?"

Ashura shook his head. "I did not tell them."

"What was your reaction when they showed up at Mr. Flowright's window while you were trying to comfort him?"

_Comfort. Hah! So now according to the law comforting meant making out? _

"Surprised. I guess they followed me."

_No shit Sherlock. _

"What did Mr. Flowright say to you when he saw others outside?"

He shifted uneasily. Fai almost smirked at seeing him squirm. "He told me to leave. But he was crying. I didn't want to leave him like that. So I," Ashura's eyes shifted back to his lawyer, regaining his confidence. "So I got out and told them to leave. Last time I saw them that night they were swearing and drunk and driving away. I went back into the house and followed him upstairs. I wanted to try and talk things out with him." Something in his face changed, his face went red even. Was he embarrassed? "That was before he kissed me again though."

"So you are saying that Mr. Flowright instigated the sex that followed?"

"Completely." He said this in a confident voice.

"Did he ask you to stop? Did he say anything that might have seemed like he didn't want what you were giving him?"

Sorata jumped up. "Your honor!"

"No." Ashura said, continuing on like he hadn't said a thing at all. "He didn't say anything like that."

The court room was silent.

Yasha's voice was the only sound echoing throughout the area, making the large place seem like it was empty instead of crowded. "What happened afterwards?" He sent a look towards Sorata who was still standing in protest. The judge just inclined her head towards him and he sat back down stiffly.

"After the…" he stopped before he said it. "Afterwards I felt bad. I realized how much I didn't want what had just happened between us…and I told him I didn't want this to happen again." His eyes flickered towards Fai know and he felt his heart skip a beat. "I didn't want to hurt him."

His eyes moved quickly back to meet that of his lawyers. Fai also found himself taking a quick peak, watching the expression of his own lawyer through his blonde bangs. Like usual Sorata's face was unreadable.

"Fai got mad." Ashura continued. "He told me he hated me and that he never wanted to see me again. I didn't want to leave so quickly. I felt bad for what just happened between us...for leading him on like I did. But I seriously regretted what we did together. So I did what he said and I left."

Yasha let the frown on his face turn up ever so slightly. "No further questions." He said with a look towards Sorata before walking back to his desk. The defense attorney muttered something to his opponent as they passed each other and Sorata shook his head in return. He didn't say anything back to him.

The man walked forward slowly, at a steady, easy pace that was almost threatening. Ashura just stared on, eyes unreadable as he waited for the cross-examination to begin.

_You knock him down Sorata-san. _Fai urged on silently.

"What were you doing at his home Mr. Ou?" Sorata said quietly. Wow. Not one for going in soft huh? Now Ashura looked somewhat bothered. Something in his eyes seemed to changed when he was confronted by the tall lawyer. Fai's eyebrows tilted downwards. Astonishment flooded his face. He…wasn't feeling bad about this was he? No. Probably just intimidated.

No one could blame him for hoping.

"Earlier that day at school I found some of my friends…hurting Fai. They told me he was spreading lies about me, saying I was gay and that I admitted it to him."

"Did this instance occur? Did you tell Mr. Flowright you were gay?" He commented.

"Objection!" Yasha said before Ashura was given time to answer. "Relevance?" Both lawyers turned to face the judge.

"Continue carefully Sorata." The judge ordered with a warning.

"What I meant is," he said turning back to the man sitting on stand who had relaxed back to his calm state the second his lawyer came to his defense. "What was your reaction to these accusations?"

"I did not know what to say. Fai and I had talked earlier that week and he did mention that he was gay but…we never talked about myself being that way."

_You're lying. You're a liar! We talked alright; you told me you didn't what to talk about it because…because…_

"They did not listen to me when I told them to just let it lie. They took that as permission to continue." _Idiot, liar. Liar!_

"So you did not touch Mr. Flowright at that time?"

"No. A few of them led me away, said they had something they wanted to show me."

"But you did see what they were doing to him." The lawyer persisted with an accusing tone, trying his best to intimidate the man before him. "You saw what they were doing to a boy who had been your best friend just a few days ago!"

The defense rose quickly once more. "Objection, this is obviously harassment."

"Sustained." The judge said without looking at the defense attorney. She, like everyone else at the moment had both her eyes on the dark haired man sitting quietly on trial.

They were all waiting for an answer now.

"I saw what they were doing." He said in a quiet voice, he lifted up a hand to push a strand of black hair behind his ear. "Doesn't mean I liked it. They dragged him out of sight. I was worried they would do something if I went after them."

_Bullshit. _

Sorata looked like he wanted to say more but realized he should continue on with another piece of evidence. "Mr. Ou what was your purpose for visiting Mr. Flowright that night?"

"I already said, I was worried for him. I wanted to see if he was okay."

"And your being worried for him just happened to have led to the two of you having sexual intercourse?"

"Well…" he shifted uncomfortably, looking embarrassed. "That was not what I originally intended, no."

"So than I suppose you believe that the sex was consensual?" The lawyer started moving now, walking closer towards the man sitting on the raised platform. His dark eyes were piercing, but Ashura was a very good actor. He did not seem fazed, only confused.

"Of course. He was the one who came onto me in the first place!"

How _dare_ he?

"Hmm." Sorata said in response, moving over to grab Fai's police statement from his table. "Do you call 'yelling at him to leave and threatening to call the police' Mr. Flowright's way of saying 'let's have sex?'" he stated, reading the piece of paper before turning back to the defense.

"No." Ashura said, obviously getting a little flustered. "But that's not what happened." Realizing with those words he was about to get eaten alive by the prosecution he corrected himself. "Not afterwards at least."

"Mr. Ou," The prosecutor said in a stern, slow voice. Fai could tell by his tone of voice. This was the last, most important question that was going to be asked during this trial. "Did you rape Mr. Flowright?" The tall blonde stared intently at his ex-best friend. Willing him with his eyes, he begged him to just let him forget about this, to just admit it…to admit what really happened. Let this end before this got way beyond his control. He did not know why, but Fai was seriously hoping that Ashura would just admit it and get off easy.

_Come on Ashura-kun, just say it. Please just say it._

"No."

Fai eyes hit the floor. Pushing back his messy hair with his free hand he resisted the urge to cry. He did not know why he was so tempted to believe Ashura would just tell them what happened. He had stuck to his story for five whole years. What made him think this time was going to be any different? Fai felt his twin squeeze his hand, sending thousands of undecipherable emotions into his body.

Fai gave him a light nudge in response than returned to watching the trial.

With only those few, formal words leaving his lips Sorata dismissed the defendant from the cross-examination and returned to his seat directly in front of Fai. The prosecutor wasn't even fully in his seat before Yasha stood up, taking the floor once again. He zoned out as he heard the slick man begin the re-examination. Wow. This was starting to get funny. How many people would start to daydream when a group of people were basically deciding what the rest of his life was going to be like? Answer: not many. Fai just happened to be one of those few.

It was quite easy surprisingly; the endless repeated questions accompanied by equally robotic answers, as well as that dull drone of Yasha's voice boring into his skull was enough to put him to sleep. Besides he had not had a good nights rest in days. The twenty one year old was so sleep deprived he had permanent bags hatched onto his skin. The worst part was he remembered how they had got there…how each had been carefully sewn on with a needle and thread like a patch onto a pair of ripped jeans. Each stitch the needle had made was created after endless nights in the hospital…too worried she'd die while he was asleep to rest. It was made during those horrid nights of repetitive prostitution, where he was too scared of his client sleeping next to him to even close his eyes. It seemed there was no hope for him now. Except maybe makeup.

With a little sigh he let his mind drift away…away from all the stress and pressure that accompanied this courtroom and this dreaded town. Fai imagined he was back home. Not, not back in the home where he was treated like a fragile glass doll and like the Black Death all in one. No, he went back to the home which constantly smelled of laundry detergent, the one Syaoran always used to wash their clothes, and oranges, Kurogane's favorite fruit that he always seemed to keep in a hefty stock. Back to their small, crowded living room and their sparkling clean kitchen. Honestly, when Syaoran-kun and Kuro-woof first moved in he had never expected his puppy to be such a neat freak. Fai should have suspected it; with his no nonsense attitude and his "don't fuck with me" stares he couldn't be anything but a complete and utter control freak. Even when it came to cleaning. Fai imagined those piercing crimson holes glaring into his eyes… the color as wicked and intimidating as his determination, yet soft like rose petals…like him.

His blood raced at the thought of being able to touch him again, to see him again. What a thrill that would be. Would he resent him though? Was he upset about the kiss? No he wouldn't be. He was the one who gave him it first anyways!

That thought led his brain off its tracks, a quick and painless train wreck that was. No way was he going to be thinking about that. Fai had to stop before he got ahead of himself again.

The blonde opened the lifeless pale blue eyes he had not realized he had closed. Focusing his attention back on the men and women of the jury he tried to understand what was happening. That, as well as desperately trying to push that persistent Kurogane out of his head before he made some permanent brain damage.

"So you did in fact ask Mr. Flowright if you could come in?"

Woah, how much had he missed?

"Yes."

"Yes? So there was on forced entry done on your behalf?"

"No. He invited me in."

Yasha nodded his head to Ashura, p[leased that the court session was going smoothly for him. Fai almost puked. Oh my god. Were they that close to the end already?

"No more questions." Apparently so.

Ashura nodded back and hesitantly stood up, walking back to the defense's table on the other side of the room. Fai stared at him until he sat down again, unable to tear his eyes away. The other man refused to look at him.

"Does the defense or the prosecution have any more witnesses they would like to call?"

Both lawyers automatically rejected her question and she nodded her head, shuffling her papers on her desk before looking at them once more. Nothing was heard for a few moments except for the rushed typing of the clerk as he tried to record the last few words being said. Silence filled the room for the longest time before she spoke.

"The defense may now make their closing statement." She said inclining her head towards Yasha. He slowly turned towards the Jury, looking at their faces for a few moments before walking towards them. As he began his long strides toward them he spoke in a low, deep voice.

"Men and Women of the Jury," he said, "it is crucial for you to understand the repercussions of lies. Mr. Ou life has been forever altered by these court proceedings. It has been hard for him in university, where he is getting excellent grades and worthwhile job opportunities in the near future, to hope for a better life when he might be wrongly convicted before he has a chance to live. Up to the event the court has described for you Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Ou was an outstanding citizen in Celus, continuously helping our community and consistently being a great role model for his peers. After this event he continuously held up this image, wanting to show others that the right thing is always right. Yet some of his luster has faded, he feels constantly threatened by the world around him because many believe he is trying to redeem himself because of a crime he did not commit. Right now many of you are probably making assumptions that this man is guilty, not because of the evidence provided, but because the victim has provided you with a sob story that perfectly defies all logic Mr. Ou has put forth. I am here to help you see that Mr. Ou did the right thing after he realized Mr. Flowright was distressed that night at his house; he told his friends to leave, and went upstairs to comfort his friend. If what happened in that room included sex, I have proved that it was consensual. Now all you got to do is give Mr. Flowright a chance to put this mishap behind him…to let him admit the truth to himself."

The court was silent as Yasha turned away from the Jury. He walked back to his table and pushed back his chair, a grim frown stitched on his face. Fai was sure his feet were covered in slime. It was taking all the effort he could not to faint right there and then. All the rage that just came pouring out of him after hearing the defense attorney's words drained him of all energy. He knew he could not really blame him, he was just doing what he was paid to but…but…

_How could he?_

Sorata approached the council now, a stern, emotionless look on his face. Fai was impressed how composed he was, even after the whole ordeal of the trial. He had to give the man props for approaching the formidable judge, and the stares of the Jury at least ten different times this evening alone. Fai was only up there for five minutes and he was so scared he almost wet himself. When the man spoke though, he could instantly see why Sorata had to be so confident. He saw exactly what was fueling him to be so brave.

"Men and Women of the Jury, right now our world is faced with a crisis." He began, taking slow steps in front of the Jury's pews. "This crisis is shown in this trial, a perfect example that the utter truth can be totally disregarded because of someones social status. Yes it is true that Mr. Ou is a straight A student graduating from a fine university, that he has never once been in trouble socially or with the law. It is true that he remains an outstanding contribution to local children's funds and community safety meetings…but that does not mean that he has never done a bad deed in his life." Fai could feel the hair rise up on his arms; this was a side of Sorata-san he had never seen before. The power, the emphasis that was coming through his words shook him, rocked him from his sense of security. He wondered if it was doing the same to the jurors. "Hate was the reason for him attacking him so, for letting his friends,_ watch _as he was degraded and humiliated. In the one moment that his social status, so highly valuable till then, was threatened by being kissed by another boy, he formed a _hatred_ for his _best_ friend." He paused then, watching the juror's faces, some stone still, others moved. Almost none of them could meet his gaze. "That hate is what caused his fear, and that fear is what caused him to try and make an example of this man. Mr. Flowright was raped and brutally assaulted by the defendant. And it is your job as the Jury to determine that he is guilty. It is your job as unbiased, citizens of our nation to overlook the right he has done in his life and recognize that even the best of us have our moments of violence. Imagine if the victim was a friend of yours, or a son, a nephew or a niece…would you want to see his assaulter go free? I ask you now; make your decision, based on the facts…not on social stations."

He stopped, this time for good. Without another word Sorata moved to sit back down beside Fai and the blonde felt his heart jump into his throat as he saw the Judge call for a recess. This was it. They had done all they could. Sorata had said everything he could to help him. Now it was completely out of his hands.

It was time for the jury to decide.

* * *

"I told you that was an accident!" Kurogane snapped, his face blushing red as the ketchup on his plate at hearing his sister giggle. "I didn't mean to touch her and that was that!"

"Sure you didn't oniisan-chan." She said taking one of her brother's fries from his plate and eating it. "I just wanted to let you know that Souma misses you, that's all." The girl winked one of her large dark eyes. "Rumor has it she's working at a bar in Loshin. Maybe you should drop by sometime."

Uh oh. Hear they go again. He had only managed to get through half a meal and she was already trying to set him up with some of her friends again. It always used to be like this, even when they were teenagers. It wasn't that he had troubles with the ladies; in fact he got them by the handfuls. Tomoyo just insisted that he had to date all of her friends at least twice.

Kurogane just shook his head vigorously. "I don't think so."

"Aww why not?" suddenly an idea popped into her heat and she gasped. Leaning across the table she stared him down, that little, knowing smile resting on her lips. "There's someone _else_ isn't there?" Tomoyo sang in a sing-song voice. The dark haired man felt his face blush up again and lifted up a mug to take a sip from his coffee, hoping the action would hide it.

"Oh. My. God. There IS someone else isn't there?" She squealed and leaned back in her chair, smacking her wrists together. "Who is she? Who is she? Or he, is it a he? Come onnnnn Kuro-oniisan tell meeee!" He resisted the temptation to excuse himself to go to the washroom. Then again, Tomoyo probably wouldn't let him leave the table without an answer either.

"Why so that was you can force him to wear your clothes? Hell no."

Her eyes widened all the same and she pointed at him excitingly. "Ha HA! You just gave me a clue!"

His heart stopped. "What? No I didn't!"

"Yes you did!" She moved forward and poked him. "You said you don't want me to be forcing _him_ to wear my clothes! That's a hint! Now you've narrowed down my population wide search to half! Thanks!" Once again she winked. Kurogane would have smacked his head against the table if it weren't for the plate of food in his way.

"So, who is he? Co-worker? Friend? Boss? Ohhh Kurogane are you having sex in the workplace?" The worst part was she managed to say it with a totally straight face.

"That's it I'm gone!" He said standing up, as Tomoyo burst out laughing. He was so not ready to have a sex talk with his sister. Come on, he always figured HE would be the one giving this to her! God knows he's already had to chase a few boys out of the house. "Aww sorry Kurogane-oniisan. It's just too much fun to tease you." She reached her little hand towards his and grabbed it softly. "Come on…sit back down?"

Damn those eyes. Grunting he sat back down. "Listen can we just change the subject?" At his sudden change of voice Tomoyo stopped. Something in her eyes changed as she came to a realization; maybe Kurogane hadn't even come to himself. She nodded and returned to sipping her apple juice and finishing her burger. Her brother did the same.

Wow. Kurogane didn't really realize how long it had been since he had just sat and had a simple meal with his little sister. Why has this been the first time in years? It shouldn't have had to turn out like that.

He went back to eating his dinner, tuning out as the sounds and smells of the cafe grabbled at his senses. Tomoyo however couldn't stand the silence for long. She always was like that, even as a kid. Kurogane hadn't even taken two bites before he saw her draw in another breath. Letting out a groan and a little laugh the young man shook his head.  
"What is it Tomoyo?" He said laughing before he took another bite from his hamburger.

"Dad sent you something." Kurogane froze. Tomoyo held out a thin package, wrapped in brightly colored paper. "It's your birthday present, from a few months ago. He told me to-,"

"Like hell I'm taking his shit." He snapped pushing the package back to her side of the table.

She fell silent; Tomoyo had been through this same routine any time they had gotten together since Kurogane left home. For some reason, she knew she should have given up on her brother by now. He hadn't seen their dad in almost half a decade. Most likely Kurogane never would. But for some reason she knew she had to try again.

_If only he wasn't so stubborn. _

"Kurogane…you can't just-."

"Hide from him for the rest of my life?" He interrupted, his tone making shivers run up her spine. "Can't just hate him for framing me for something I didn't do? Dad knew Tomoyo! Dad knew that I would never hurt mom yet he still…" Something in his voice then wasn't right. Something wasn't him. Hesitatingly, she slowly swerved her eyes back up to stare at his, which were deliberately looking anywhere but her. Tomoyo almost felt her heart stop at what she saw.

_Oh Kurogane…_

She stayed quiet, stunned at what she witnessed falling down her brother's cheeks. Slowly she retracted her hand from his as if they were opposite sides of a magnet. Tomoyo did not know what to say.

What was there for her to say? Kurogane didn't even know what to say. He didn't feel bad. He knew that for sure as he turned to his jacket, pretending to be digging for something to avoid the look on his sister's face. The dark haired fighter did not ever want to see his fucking jackass of a dad ever again. Ever.

It wasn't his fault what the consequences were of losing contact.

Even if it was he didn't care.

_A good father would have been there for me. A good father would have tried to talk with me when I got involved with the fucking Bronyin gang!_ _A good father would have stood up for me when I was being arrested for something I didn't fucking do!_ Realizing he could not hide for much longer he wiped the tear track from his cheek, sat back up and cleared his throat. It seemed that Tomoyo had also composed herself by the time he returned to his usual sitting stance.

"Listen oniisan," Tomoyo insisted, still fingering the package with her shaking fingers. She always did hate to confront her brother. Kurogane resisted the temptation to roll his eyes. "He made some mistakes in the past; he said things he didn't mean. But if you saw him now you'd realize just how much he has changed. He finished medical school Kurogane! Dad never finished school before! He even got a job; he's working at Loshin General Hosp-!"

"I don't care what he got a degree in! I don't care how much he's changed!" He snapped, his anger finally reaching its limit. Kurogane felt his arms shaking as he grasped the edge of the table with his hands, closing them into fists violently. He couldn't believe she was defending him! "A piece of paper doesn't give him reason to believe his own son was a murderer."

She looked down at the table, her own hands folded in her lap as they held the dejected present. He could see she was shaking. And for once he did not feel like comforting her.

The hustle and bustle inside the café went on like usual. The chatter continued as waitresses brought customers their food. A group laughed at a nearby table at some undistinguished joke. Smells lingered around the room, wafting in from the kitchen and a bell ran at the front door, signaling a man appearing with his family in the entrance. All around them the world moved. And although at that moment the pair of siblings felt their world stretch and ruin like unfinished fabric they didn't not realize they were only one part; an imperfection on a work of art that is barely noticed when the painting is glanced from afar.

Kurogane raised a tanned hand, signaling at a waitress to bring him their check. It was time to leave. He also took the time to wipe away those fricken salty extracts that struck his face. Damn his fucking emotions. Why do they have the worst possible timing? The young man hadn't even noticed he was crying. Once the bill was paid and the squabble that pursued about how much Kurogane owed his sister (zoom in on his empty wallet) they emerged once more on the sidewalk. Tomoyo pulled up the fur lined hood on her jacket and wrapped it tighter around herself. The black haired fighter couldn't help but do the same; he had not noticed just how chilly it was now that the sun had gone down and the wind had increased in speed.

_Well at least the rain has stopped._

"Hm, I should probably get back to the courthouse. The trial must be closing up by now and I need to be there to capture the results." She said with a giggle, holding up her handy dandy notebook.

"I'll walk with you." Kurogane said shortly in reply, shoving his hands in his pockets and waltzing down the sidewalk.

"Kurogane silly, you don't have to." Tomoyo laughed as she followed her brother, knowing full well he was going to do it whether she told him to or not. "I can take care of myself."

_Yah right. Like hell you can._

Besides, Kurogane didn't care if he was in some obscure part of the countryside right now, back home in Loshin you did not walk alone by yourself once the sun had set. That knowledge was permanently carved into his brain; no one could blame him for not being used to the harmlessness of the country.

Together they walked in a calm silence, quite an odd pair they were to the random person passing by. A tall, buff man walking beside his petite, charming, only comes up to his chest younger sister. A loving, gentle, smile, accompanied by a gruff, grumpy scowl. The dog and the deer, call it whatever you like. But everyone could tell, without a doubt, that these two were siblings.

"So here we are." She said coming to a stop in front of a tall, white, coliseum like building. Kurogane looked at it; he really hadn't bothered to observe it earlier. It looked like a very large, very old fashioned style courthouse. It was complete with stone pillars reaching to the mountain tops and a concrete staircase of mammoth proportions.

_Honestly, what does a town this small need from such an elaborate place? _

"What's the trial of anyways?" he said, turning his head back to the long haired girl and away from the street light. He covered her with shadow, but even in the darkness he saw her change of posture. Immediately her mood seemed to dampen. Slowly her eyes wavered from his stare and looked at the large wooden doors at the top of the staircase.

"It's a rape case. Four years ago a teenager was molested, in his own house nonetheless." Kurogane whistled a low, soured note. Now that's what you call rotten luck.

"Why are they having the trial out here if it happened back in Loshin?"

Tomoyo looked at him, somewhat confused. "It happened right here in Celus." She stated.

His brow furrowed. _What reason does _the Loshin Times_ have making a report of this then? _

All of the sudden the door cracked open, revealing a sliver of light from inside as a man stepped out. Judging by the camera around his neck Kurogane suspected the red haired min the tiny glasses was Tomoyo's photographer for the paper.

"Tomoyo-chan is that you? Come on get in here! The Jury is about to release its decision!"

Letting out a little meep the girl stood on her tip toes and threw her arms around her brother's neck for a quick hug. Kurogane, not ever the one for affection gave her a little squeeze in return. He did however smile ever so slightly as he recognized the smell of the perfume she was wearing. She still wore that everyday didn't she? He was surprised she hadn't run out by now, he remembered buying that for her for her 16th birthday.

"Bye oniisan!" She squealed, flying out of his grasp just as fast as she got into it and running up the stairs two at a time. "I'll call you later in the week okay?"

Kurogane just smirked, nodding at her when she sent one last smile his way. Then she disappeared into the courthouse, and she closed the door her partner had opened, shutting out the main source of light as she did. He walked away slowly, moving into the lone beam of the street lamp hitting the sidewalk. Hands stuffed inside his pockets he stared at where he had last seen her for almost two minutes before he broke out of the daze he hadn't realized he had been in. Blaming it on his overtiredness, Kurogane would always insist that it was NOT because he regretted apologizing to her when he could. For not being there, for being so stubborn, for leaving her to live alone with their father and sick family just weeks after his mom's death when she needed him most.

Silently he began his parade down the sidewalk to where hopefully he would find the bus stop he had gotten off at to take him home. He was about two blocks down from where he and his sister had separated when he felt a tingle in his nether regions. Looks like his bladder had other plans for him.

Grumbling his annoyance towards bodily functions and their imperfect timing he stomped his way back down the sidewalk. He tried entering a few small shops that were rooted along the pathway but why would they have a bathroom? And even if they did, why would they be open at night? So he ended up sauntering back the way he came, checking the time on his watch to make sure he'd have enough time to get back to the bus stop. Hoping that if he missed this one he could just catch the next one he took a hand out of its pocket to push open one of the heavy wooden doors.

Besides, like anything terribly important was going to happen during the two seconds he needed to take a piss.

* * *

They had been in there for about an hour. Fai almost ran out of the room multiple times. His mother had moved from her seat in the rows now and moved to stand closer to her son. Yuui hadn't let go of his twins hand since he came back down from the stand. Yet both of these actions combined did absolutely nothing to stop the racing of his quickly pulsating heart. He thought the time would go by much quicker than it was. But it was moving slowly, the seconds falling off the clock like syrup out of a tree. There had to be someway to make things go by quicker.

The blue eyed man found himself leaning back into his chair, closing his eyes. He tried to think of calming things, relaxing things. The first thing that came to mind was Sakura; just imagining that smile of hers, the cute way she squeaked whenever Fai poked or surprised her, it send waves of warmth through his heart. She always had that ability to make him melt whenever she came around. It was impossible to be angry or upset when she was there. And Syaoran, he was such a sweet kid. Not liking him even somewhat is not an option when he remains so loyal and polite all the time. The kid was barely an adult, and already he was taking on so many responsibilities, it was amazing that he still managed to carry such an aura of innocence around him.

…_Kurogane…_

He couldn't help but think of him next. Unconsciously his fingertips (the ones not occupied by Yuui's) reached up to brush his lips. The two separate pieces of flesh pulsated at the thought of the treat they had received the night before. Where exactly had that come from? He did not even think Kurogane was gay.

_Crap. _

Now that the trial was mostly through, Fai was finding it harder and harder to keep the unmentionable from invading his mind. What had started his attraction to him anyways? It couldn't have just randomly popped out of his head so randomly…it had to come from somewhere. He scanned through his memories, where was it he first saw Kuro-riki? Oh yah! In the alley, when those guys were bothering him.

_Hmmm, wonder what they were bothering him about anyways? _

Fai remembered the look on Kurogane's face when he turned and saw a dart sticking out of his attacker's shoulder; it was absolutely priceless. But no, it wasn't that face which was sticking in his mind now…it was the look Kurogane had sent him when he was pushing him out of harms way. So many emotions flickered in his gaze at that moment. It was more emotions than Fai had ever seen on his face…and he was showing them all for someone he did not know. It was that bravery, that care for others the black haired fighter had that must have drawn him in, Fai decided to himself. Put that on top of the fact that Kuro-riki was incredible to look at and always seems to blush such a pretty shade of red every time he annoyed him…drove the blue eyed man crazy.

No. No he didn't want to talk about that. Not now. Not here. Not when he was in the middle of his own RAPE trial! Everything came crumbling back. That's right. He was back here in Celus wasn't he? Fai wasn't in Loshin in anymore. It was impossible to hide here, everyone knew what had happened! Back there in Loshin City is was easier to pretend that nothing had ever happened…that he just left because of the fall out with his father. Now that he was back…the weight of reality put immense pressure on him…so much he was struggling just to keep his thoughts straight. What was the possibility? What was the likelihood that something like this would happen to him? Was it possible to know something like this was going to happen? He never would have guessed this is what would have happened when he was younger.

1 in 6 Canadians have been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime. Taking into account the nation's population, that is about 17.7 million people.

66% of the rape victims know their assailants.

48% were raped by a friend.

80% of rape victims are under 30 years of age.

20% of rapes take place in the victim's home.

Damn Statistics Canada. He knew he shouldn't have gone onto that web page.

Suddenly Fai felt his brother's grip tighten around his hand and he was dragged away from his thoughts. Slowly lifting up his head he felt his heart stop.

Fai almost screamed, they were coming back in.

Slowly the jurors entered. They moved one by one to their respective seats, all silent, faces expressionless. There was no way for the blue eyed man to tell what their decision had been. He urged them with his gaze to hurry up, to sit down and proclaim their answer so he could leave and puke.

This was it. This was their last chance. They had made all the progress they could. They did as much as they could. Now a few words were going to decide where Fai's life was going to go…whether it was going to heaven in a few years or to hell in a few hours.

Slowly the judge turned her eyes towards that of the Jury. Her face was also impassive. For a few moments the chatter resumed within the pews, but the moment the officer moved from his place beside the judge towards the jury everyone went as quite as if they were attending a funeral. To Fai they might as well have been. Either way the jury chose, they were condemning a man to something as good as, if not worse, than death. There was a rustle of paper and Fai knew they were delivering the notes to the judge. He tore his eyes away from the scene then, closing them as to not see what was happening. Yuui remained silent along with the others, but Fai knew his brother was with him. Clinging to his hand he reopened his eyes. He had to face this head on. He had to.

It was at that moment the Judge received the necessary papers, and with a clear voice she turned to the jurors and spoke.

"On the account of sexual assault how do you find the defense?" She said. Fai turned his blonde head wildly their way, his blue eyes wide and shaking.

_Please, please…_

"We find the defense not guilty."

"On the account of physical assault in the second degree how do you find the defense?"

"We find the defense not guilty."

Fai felt his heart cease. There were loud remarks from the spectators in the pews, movements as Yuui stood up, shouting his rage towards the jury, the banging sound, almost like a gun, of the judge bashing her gavel. Fai did not hear anything. He did not move as his twin lunged forward, shouting out hateful remarks towards the man, now free, being escorted out by his lawyer. Nothing was said as he heard Sorata try and hold him back, as he heard the police officer move towards them to stop them from doing anything. Fai didn't notice a thing.

Everything had already gone black.


End file.
